Syrian refugee Henekal is glad her two-year-old daughter Elena will never remember the horrors of the Islamic State quagmire.

Elena was just a baby when, in late 2014, her mother grabbed her and began walking out of the Syrian city of Raqqa to escape the militants.

Henekal's husband had gone missing and as a woman and a Kurdish Muslim, she was alone and vulnerable.

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"ISIS considers Kurds as infidels," she told Lateline through an Arabic interpreter.

"I was afraid ISIS would take me to their camps, where they would force me into servitude.

"They would take women and kill their husbands in front of them. They would gang rape and torture women."

Henekal has hip dysplasia, a condition which makes it difficult to walk. Elena was suffering from cataracts.

Despite the odds, Henekal walked for hours out of Raqqa, then travelled hundreds of kilometres by car and bus to the Lebanese capital Beirut, passing through IS checkpoints along the way.

Reaching safety: Luciano, Henekal and Elena.

"Elena is the one who gave me the strength to keep walking and never surrender to ISIS," she said.

"When we arrived in Lebanon we didn't have anywhere to go. Elena and I ended up on the street. But I couldn't carry her anymore. I couldn't carry her and walk [with my disability]."

They registered with the UNHCR in Lebanon and stayed in various lodgings.

With Elena going blind and desperately needing surgery, Henekal sought help from the United Nations, but they were unable to help.

After months of unsuccessfully trying to find assistance, and distraught that her daughter could lose her sight, Henekal became hysterical, threatening to end their lives.

Luciano Calestini, an Australian working for UNICEF, happened upon her in the street and tried to calm her down.

This random encounter changed their lives.

Elena plays in her backyard. ( ABC: Jason Om )

Mr Calestini personally took up their case with the UNHCR and the Australian Embassy.

With the help of private donors he was able to organise surgery for Elena and save her sight.

Henekal and her daughter are now living in New South Wales, as part of the Government's one-off humanitarian intake of 12,000 refugees.

"Australia has welcomed me and given me security," she said.

"The future here will be wonderful, especially for Elena. I will try and be an active citizen of my new home."