Akil is a 45-year old volunteer teacher working and living in Mamilyan Camp in Akre. He was forced to flee Bartella, near Mosul in August 2014 with his wife and four children.

Akil teaches English at the camp school and volunteers at the SEED Center. He loves the enthusiasm of his students. They give him energy and are the exact reason why he is teaching, even though there are no resources to pay him. Most of his students hadn’t seen a classroom for two years and some have never even been to school.

“Before I start with classes, I always take a couple of minutes to raise awareness among my students on all the beautiful aspects of diversity. I explain to them that there is no difference between any of us. Although we have different religions and cultures, we are all human, and should all respect each other.”

Safety is the most important thing for Akil and his family, and that is why they feel so comfortable at Mamilyan Camp. “We feel safe here. Even though we live here with many different minorities, there are good relations between all of us. We all respect each other.”

In a year from now Akil sees himself and his family back in Bartella. Although it’s currently safe from ISIS, it is still not livable. There is no water, electricity and many of the houses have been destroyed. But he is willing to work together with all the people of Bartella, to rebuild his home town. Until then we are lucky to have him as part of our team.