Where Services Meet Refugees: Inside Zakho’s Community Centre
Where Services Meet Refugees: Inside Zakho’s Community Centre
UNHCR registration assistant, Payman Ali, renews the UNHCR certificate of 95-year-old Syrian refugee Ali Abde, who is accompanied by his nephew.
The waiting area at the Zakho Community Centre for Family and Child Protection is busy. Refugees sit in the waiting hall, holding documents and waiting for their turn. Slowly making his way through the crowd is 95-year-old Syrian refugee Ali Abde. Leaning on a walking stick with one hand and supported by his nephew Abdulqadir with the other, he heads towards the registration desk.
"I need to renew my UNHCR certificate. Without it, my residency card cannot be renewed, and then I cannot access the health centre near my home."
95-year-old Syrian refugee Ali Abde has his biometrics taken as part of renewing his UNHCR certificate
A father of nine, Ali once spent his days farming in Derik, northeast Syria. In 2013, conflict forced him and his family to flee their home and seek safety in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. After years of moving between different towns and cities, he eventually settled in Zakho with his children.
For older refugees like Ali, access to healthcare is essential. In Iraq, UNHCR registration underpins access to government registration and documentation which is essential to enable refugees to access public services – without valid documents, refugees risk being unable to receive healthcare, education and other essential support.
The waiting area/main hall of the Zakho Community Centre for Family and Child Protection which was constructed by UNHCR and opened in 2025.
The Community Centre in Zakho functions as a one-stop-shop, bringing together government departments and NGO partners under one roof to make access to services easier. Built by UNHCR and handed over to local authorities in 2025, the centre enables both the local community and refugees to access a range of services in a single location, reducing the need to travel between different offices.
"Lately I have been paying too much for private clinics because I did not have the right papers for free government healthcare," Ali says. "All the trouble I had before renewing my certificate made me dislike paperwork. But this time things have improved a lot. Everything is in one place now, even the security clearance by the government. Because of my age, they also helped me complete the process quickly."
The centre was established following consultations with refugees in Zakho, who highlighted the need for easier access to services. Today, it serves as a hub where refugees and the host community can receive support from multiple organizations in one visit.
For his nephew, Abdulqadir, this has made a significant difference.
"The last time I renewed my children's refugee certificates, I had to travel to Duhok [more than 58 kilometres away]" he says. "I was worried because school enrolment was closing soon. It was not easy to find where the mobile registration team was operating."
Today, he can access the same services much closer to home.
UNHCR registration assistant, Payman Ali, renews the UNHCR certificate of 95-year-old Syrian refugee Ali Abde.
UNHCR conducts regular registration missions at the centre, enabling refugees and asylum seekers to register, renew documentation, and update essential personal information. In parallel, government actors and NGOs continue to deliver a range of services on-site. The Zakho branch of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq organizes awareness sessions, vocational training and recreational activities for children and families from refugee, internally displaced and host communities, fostering social cohesion and peaceful coexistence. UNHCR’s legal partner in Dohuk, Harikar, also provides legal assistance to refugees facing challenges, while Lotus Flower, a local NGO, delivers child protection and gender-based violence services.
For Ali and thousands of other refugees in Zakho, the Community Centre is making these services easier to reach.
"Everything is easier now. We know where to come, and we can get what we need in one place."
The Zakho Community Centre for Family and Child Protection was constructed by UNHCR and opened in 2025.
For refugees rebuilding their lives far from home, that convenience means more than saving time. It means better access to protection, healthcare and support when they need it most.
