Matt Willingham 
This is Jamal, and he’s our hero…
Remember all those people stranded on Sinjar Mountain, the Yezidis surrounded by militants? Jamal and his family escaped from a village near there. Jamal is one of hundreds of Yezidis now living in Baghdad, displaced by the terrorist group known as ISIS or the Islamic State. Like many, Jamal was aware of ISIS’s brutality and decided to get his family out as quickly as possible.
But unlike many, Jamal risked his own life repeatedly to help smuggle dozens of Yezidi women and young girls out of his city and through dangerous, ISIS-controlled territory.
He knew what the militants were doing with captured Yezidi women, and he was determined to save as many as possible. Jamal led the women through the Iraqi wilderness, from town to village to town, hitchhiking and staying up long hours to keep watch over the girls as they slept. They eventually found passage to Baghdad, which is where we met them. It’s amazing to think of Baghdad as a refuge given its instability, but it was the best option Jamal could find.
“We’re still working, trying to ransom the women back from the militants,” Jamal shared.
He and his friends threw us a lavish lunch in their makeshift home in Baghdad— humbling coming from a group of displaced people. Jamal told us he has now traveled back into war zones in Iraq to bring back over 150 girls so far, and he plans to keep going. As many are (understandably) trying to figure out how to keep themselves alive, Jamal is barely giving himself a second thought, now helping care for several Yezidi families living undercover in Baghdad. This is preemptive love!
We’re privileged to be raising the money Jamal needs to keep the women Jamal rescues alive in Baghdad. This includes food, clothing, shelter, and money for school supplies and uniforms so their children can return to school. Your donation helps make this possible! Some are saying it’s time to give up on Iraq, but Jamal refuses.
Will you join him?
$25 can provide emergency relief.
$100 can put 10 displaced kids back to school.
$1,000 can empower a woman to start her new business.
100% of your donations directly support our work in Iraq.
