Cash assistance helps refugee mothers overcome hardship

In Iraq, cash assistance is critical for the most vulnerable refugees, including single mothers, people with disabilities, and survivors of gender-based violence, to meet their basic needs.

Sara* tightly grasps her son's hand while speaking, her gaze fixed on her daughter. After her husband was killed in Syria, her life became increasingly challenging. They were internally displaced several times, before moving in with Sara's in-laws, who attempted to marry her to a relative. When she refused, the family separated her from her two children. Eventually, Sara and her children escaped to Damascus and later to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. "If I had stayed in Syria, I would be dead by now," she reflects.

After arriving in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Sara sought asylum and immediately started looking for a job. “I worked in salons here and there in need of extra help. Then, I found a sort of stable job. However, I was the only woman working there, and men started to harass me,” she says.

When Sara started to feel uncomfortable, she tried to talk to her boss. She hoped he would understand but, instead, he just told her to be nice to the customers. Disheartened, Sara made the difficult decision to quit. “As a single parent life is complicated. I need to work long hours to cover the family’s expenses. The most difficult thing to do for me is leaving the children alone. They can’t cook for themselves; they can’t take care of themselves”.

In 2024, Sara was thrown a lifeline when she started to receive cash assistance from UNHCR. This assistance is targeted to support the most vulnerable refugees in Iraq meet their basic needs, including women who have faced harassment and violence. 26% of the current recipients are female headed households like Sara.

“Thanks to UNHCR’s cash assistance, I started to save some money to cover the rent and our basic needs, such as food. We always try to save money for the next meal. I also now manage to spend more time with my children.”

In Iraq, 7,000 vulnerable refugee households currently receive cash assistance from UNHCR. According to surveys conducted by UNHCR after the distribution of cash assistance, most refugees spend the money on paying rent, buying food and paying medical bills. 98 percent of recipients also report that the cash assistance positively impacts their lives and helps reduce stress.

This is certainly true for Fadyia, a 48-year-old Syrian refugee, widow and mother of seven children. When her husband passed away from cancer in November 2024, Fadiya was at a loss of how she would cope

"My husband worked in the construction field. Then, he fell ill for two years and eventually passed away. In the end, he was hospitalized. I fear for my children. They are very young."

As a single parent to seven, Fadyia's most difficult challenge is covering daily household expenses, such as rent and food. Being enrolled in UNHCR’s cash assistance programme has helped bring a little relief.

"I have been able to pay rent, and buy food, and clothes for my children, among other expenses," she says. However, her financial situation remains precarious.

Refugees like Sara and Fadiya are enrolled in UNHCR’s cash assistance programme for an initial duration of a year. This length of time is considered sufficient to help them meet their most urgent basic needs, give them an opportunity to get back on their feet and build some self-reliance. In 2025, the programme has been generously supported by donors such as the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.

Funding shortages, however, mean that cuts to the cash assistance programme are likely in upcoming months. Out of $20 million urgent needs, less than a third has been received.

This shortfall threatens to reduce the amount of cash assistance UNHCR is able to distribute, the number of families supported, and the length of time families receive the cash assistance, risking increased numbers of vulnerable refugees falling into dire poverty. Without this support, families may also resort to harmful coping mechanisms, such as reducing food intake and accumulating debt.

Cash assistance is the most cost-effective way to provide aid. It empowers refugees and contributes to local economies. For Sara and Fadiya, the benefits are clear. Cash assistance has not only helped them meet their basic needs, but also provided protection and a sense of stability when they needed it most.

*Name changed for protection reasons