Amid ongoing violence in Iraq, more than two million Iraqis remain uprooted and live in dire and dangerous circumstances inside the country. They are unable to cross into neighboring countries or return home safely. Many others are trapped in their volatile communities, where basic services are dwindling. Of the displaced, the luckier ones have moved in with relatives. The rest crowd into small rented spaces, squat in abandoned buildings, or struggle to get by in make-shift shelters, tent settlements or displacement camps. Most have lost their jobs or businesses and have become impoverished. Food, clean water and sanitation are in short supply. The crisis has also disrupted schooling for tens of thousands of children.
The International Rescue Committee restarted programs in Iraq in November 2007 to assist thousands of internally displaced civilians in northern, central and southern districts. The IRC had extensive operations in these regions from 2003 through 2005, but deteriorating security forced IRC staff to leave and turn over programs to local aid groups.
Special report - Iraqi Refugees: A Hidden Crisis
How We Help
The IRC is upgrading water services at displacement camps and surrounding villages to ensure regular access to clean water and training women’s committees to carry out hygiene promotion campaigns. The IRC is also renovating schools and recreational areas in Iraqi communities hosting large numbers of displaced children and providing catch-up classes for displaced children who have missed out on schooling due to ongoing violence. In addition, our teams are rehabilitating and improving services at a blood bank, training and advising Kurdish law enforcement to better respond to incidents of violence against women and improve services for survivors, and strengthening the capacity of local aid groups to address community needs. Learn more about our programs in Iraq.
The IRC also delivers humanitarian aid to Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria and those who have been granted refuge in the United States.
Latest blog and photos from IRC aid workers assisting uprooted Iraqis
