Syndicated News
A Moment in Time
By Paul Benjamin
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Sarah, named after her grandmother, is a Assyrian baby girl born on Aug 2, 2014.
A year ago, ISIS forced Assyrians, Yezidis and other Iraqi minorities from their homes. Stories of death, destruction and sadness permeated the media outlets. The diaspora community went through emotions of anger, sadness and a regretful feeling of numbness to the situation. Those emotions played into what ISIS wanted -- to instill a sense of fear in generations of people. Understanding the situation, the diaspora Assyrian community evolved to implement a humanized approach to help the people affected help themselves. Rehabilitating the children affected by ISIS' deplorable acts is one of the approaches. The best way to understand is to take a look at the ground level to see the human connection generated from people helping people. Savina Dawood, proactive and nationalist youth, works with many children whose lives have been forever changed through war and turmoil. Savina's projects span creating sports groups and toy drives to counseling and one on one interactions with affected youth. With the support of organizations including ChaldoAssyrian Students and Youth Union, Help Iraq, A Demand for Action, CCPA, Rise Foundation, Assyrians Without Borders, Assyrian Aid Society and Al Khalsa Aid, Savina has been able to bring hope back to the community. When I met Savina, she had many stories to tell. Stories that bring audiences to tears. But, Savina's work is not about generating sad tears. Savina's work provides hope and rehabilitation to the children that will eventually forge peace in the Iraqi nation. This is Savina's story: Sarah, named after her grandmother, is a beautiful Assyrian baby girl born on Aug 2, 2014. A week after being born, her family fled ISIS' grasps and became one of thousands hosted at the Saint Joseph Church in Ankawa-Arbil. Summer is hot in Iraq. Without stable electricity for air-conditioning, the room that Sarah and her family found refuge in was over 110 degrees F. Savina reflects,
In one of the caravans, I saw around 15 people sitting in it, and in the middle an infant, beside her mother. She (the baby) looked very weak. They told me she was sick. Sarah looked pale and was hardly breathing. Less than a week old and in these conditions, I took Sarah, her mother and grandmother immediately to another IDP refuge, Assyrian Women's Union, to care for the baby in better conditions.
Savina's immediate actions saved the baby's life. Shelter, medicine, food, diapers, clothing and baby toys were provided to baby Sarah. Slowly, Sarah's health began to make enough positive improvements to join her mother and the rest of the family. Soon after, Sarah's parents wanted to baptize Sarah and gave Savina the honor to be the godmother. "We went to the church and I was holding Sarah. When the priest asked for her name, her father said 'Savina'. We are naming her 'Savina' and 'Sarah' in church." Savina's emotions ran high: "I don't usually cry, but I could not stop my tears at that moment." Experiencing true joy and hope humanizes society. A moment in time can change the mindset of those affected by war, touch the lives of others and, most importantly, put happy smiles on the faces of children again. Savina helped rehabilitate Savina. Which Savina did more helping is still in question. All I know is that this world needs more Savinas in it.



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