Ezidi among finalists for Global Student Prize 2021 in France
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Farhad Shamo, an Ezidi (Yezidi) genocide survivor from Sinjar born in 1994, is among the top 50 finalists for the Chegg.org Global Student Prize 2021, the winner of which will be announced in November.
“The Chegg.org Global Student Prize is a US$100,000 award presented to an exceptional student, making a real impact on learning, the lives of their peers and on society beyond,” the organization behind the prize says.
In 2019, Shamo was also the recipient of an award from the Institut de l’Engagement, and in 2020, he was named an Obama Foundation European Leader.
“Despite growing up in poverty, doing his homework around an oil lamp every night, and working alongside his studies, Farhad graduated high school in 2013 with excellent grades,” read Shamo’s biography on the official website of the award.
“However, in August 2014, his region was invaded by the so-called Islamic State, who waged an elaborate genocidal campaign to destroy his people. Men were killed, women and girls were abducted, and young boys were taken to be brainwashed. Farhad survived the genocide with his life, but lost everything, including his best friends and classmates.”
After the genocide, Shamo became a volunteer and activist, helping bring aid to the Yezidi community. He told Kurdistan 24 he was chosen among 3500 applicants from 94 countries because of his compassion for people in need.
“It’s also due to my academic achievements despite surviving a genocide, being in a camp for years, and being a refugee in France,” said Shamo.
“My story and background are unique, but so is everybody else’s. Everyone’s story deserves to be heard,” and the story of the Yezidis is one of “existential struggle,” he added.
Shamo explained that he sees his nomination as “a recognition of the suffering” of the Yezidis, hoping that it will bring wider awareness about the situation of members of the ethnoreligious minority group in Iraq.
“Today, we need to work hard and put all of our efforts...to make the international community aware of our ongoing suffering,” he noted.
Shamo said he received many congratulatory messages from the Yezidi community, who hope that “even survivors can stand up and make a change.”
“I am therefore grateful and appreciative to the Varkey Foundation and Chegg.org for their consideration of shortlisting me as one of the top 50 finalists,” he concluded.
The Top 10 for the Global Student Prize will be announced in mid-October and the winner ceremony will take place at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France, in November.