Nadira is in poor health. She is often breathless and looks worn out. She has suffered more than most. Originally from Baghdad, she lost her husband in 2005 in a suicide bombing. A few weeks later, she was asked to identify his body – it was badly burnt but Nadira could see enough of his face to know it was him.

In 2014, Nadira travelled to Mosul for her daughter’s wedding. During the service the priests announced that people should leave because a group of armed men were on their way. This group would shortly be known to the world as ISIS. Nadira and the guests fled. Months later, on Christmas Eve, Nadira’s son was buying clothes in a shop in Baghdad and was shot in the leg and the stomach. The assailants were not prosecuted.

Amid the stories of tragedy, Nadira recounts the day her grandchild was born: “My daughter was pregnant, the birth was severely delayed and we didn’t have funds for her to have surgery. 

"I came to St George’s and Father Faez [Rev'd. Faez Jirjees, leader of St George's Church] arranged for the surgery to be done quickly. The doctors said that if the operation had been left any longer my daughter and her baby would have died. I want to thank Mosaic Middle East for all your help.”