WINNIPEG — They fled their farm in Iraq on foot, escaping with just the clothes on their back.
Sulaiman Lalo, his wife and four adult children are Yazidis, a religious minority under threat by the so-called Islamic State.
“Even when we fled our home, we saw many dead bodies on the way. I personally jumped over dead bodies to save my wife and my kids,” said Lalo.
RELATED : ISIS has lost more than 75% of the Iraqi land it seized in 2014, military says
In 2014 the family got the call that Yazidis people in neighbouring communities were being attacked and killed. They said the ISIS fighters were only 45 minutes away.
“We left with only the clothes on our backs,” said Lalo’s son Dawod.
“Many even ran without shoes and they had to walk for days.”
RELATED: Why refugees are choosing to cross over in Manitoba instead of Saskatchewan?
The family ran to Syria and then made their way to a refugee camp in Turkey where they have lived for the past three years.
Three weeks ago, the family found out they were heading to Winnipeg. They were sponsored by the Jewish Child and Family Service’s Operation Ezra, an organization that’s raised half a million dollars to save refugees.
“I can’t describe in words how grateful I am to everyone who has been involved. Just to see the smile on everyone’s faces is absolutely incredible,” said Nafiya Naso from the organization.
Lalo and his family are relieved to finally be safe in Canada.
RELATED: Welcome Place in need of donations following flood of refugees crossing into Manitoba
“Before we arrived here, the only thing we were looking for was a roof over my head and to be able to sleep in peace knowing my family is safe. We are very much looking forward for my wife and I and my kids to learn the language and to start working to pay back and pay it forward,” he said.
Comments