Racha El-Dib remembers her sister Nadia as a kind person whose goal was to bring out happiness and confidence in those around her.
On Saturday, Racha and her family marked the five year anniversary of Nadia’s death
“Every year it’s been extremely difficult for my family and this year we wanted to make it something a little bit more upbeat: a celebration of life instead,” Racha said.
She said her sister was a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race. On Saturday, a drag show fundraiser for Nadia’s Hope Foundation was held in Calgary at Twisted Element which donated the location for the event.
The foundation’s goal is to bring education and awareness on domestic violence.
On March 25, 2018, 22-year-old Nadia El-Dib was murdered. She was attacked by her ex-boyfriend, stabbed dozens of times and shot twice
Her family said they knew she had broken things off with the man, but had no idea he had continued to pursue her.
Her killer was on the run from police, wanted for the first-degree murder of Nadia, when he was killed in a shootout with the RCMP.
The murder inspired the El-Dib family to try and prevent similar tragedies by establishing Nadia’s Hope Foundation.
Racha has done presentations in Airdrie schools with RCMP officers talking about healthy relationships and what red flags to watch out for.
“We tell people to take things seriously. When you think it’s something minor, if your gut is telling you something is wrong, follow that gut instinct because it can lead to what happened to Nadia. There wasn’t any sign of physical abuse or anything like that and unfortunately it still led to the stalking behaviour and for him to take her life because she wouldn’t get back with him,” Racha said.
Racha received feedback from young woman who read about Nadia’s story through the foundation. She’s even heard from people who have left abusive relationships because of her sister’s story.
“They tell me how they’ve seen themselves in Nadia. It’s such a relatable story and how they’ve left abusive situations because of what has happened to her,” Racha said.
Racha says working with Nadia’s Hope Foundation has allowed her family to cope with the loss.
“My message is to talk to somebody and try to get an outside perspective of what the situation is like and to know that you’re not alone,” she said.
Nadia was a SAIT student at the time of her death. Racha and the El-Dib family are now working on establishing a scholarship in memory of Nadia.
— With files from Rebecca Kelly, Global News