Stories of Girls’ Resistance
Shaima, Iraq

Shaima

“Believe me, now when I am talking to you, there is a fire in my heart. I don’t know how to describe it. That’s it, I am now a strong woman. I don’t want to cry. Yes, I cry, but I don’t let anyone see me. I am at peace, and I want others to see me as an example to them and so I don’t want to cry. I have to be positive, so that others can be positive. I want to plant smiles, optimism and hope in them.”