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...
Legal assistance provides relief to asylum-seekers and refugees in Baghdad
On a typical Wednesday evening during Ramadan, Ali was visiting a friend in a nearby neighbourhood in Baghdad when he was unexpectedly arrested. As a Syrian asylum-seeker who had been living in Iraq for the past year and a half, Ali was registered and documented with...
A DAFI refugee scholarship contributes to physiotherapy and healing in Erbil
The physiotherapy centre run by Fawaz, a 25-year-old Syrian refugee in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, is abuzz with patients waiting to be ushered in for their treatments. Working eight hours a day, six days a week, Fawaz and his Iraqi colleagues offer...
Five years of investment in civil documentation restores displaced and vulnerable Iraqis’ sense of belonging and hope for the future
Having a civil identity document – a birth certificate, national identity card or housing card – is the first step for any individual to be recognised as a citizen in their country. These documents serve as official proof of identity, enhancing access to public...
Refugee gardener harvests small profit to grow plant business in Iraq
In the heart of Zakho, a small town within the mountains of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Silva’s garden bursts with life—vibrant greens and flowers, delicate herbs, and even exotic plants like Japanese oranges. To a passerby, it might be just an ordinary garden, but...
Finding community through adolescent clubs supported by UNHCR
Every week, 16-year-old Sana Burhan, an Iraqi national, travels from Barika, a rural town 30 minutes outside the city, to the heart of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to lead an Adolescent Club. Within the walls of an ordinary classroom, Sana creates a...
Legal aid helps refugee families overcome challenges in Iraq
For years, Faisal and his brothers watched as other children in their neighbourhood walked past their window laughing on their way to school. Each morning they would turn to their father with the same question about why they couldn’t join. Abu Faisal describes how he...
Iraqi Government registration drive ensures essential documentation and protection for asylum-seekers in Basra
Over a two-week period, around over 600 asylum-seekers received their government ID documents– cards given by the Permanent Committee for Political Refugee Affairs of the Ministry of Interior of Iraq, known as PC-MoI cards – during a mobile registration mission...
A Path Back to Hope: with support, refugee children overcome challenges to stay in school
As he walks to school each morning, Mahmoud recalls a different path his life could have taken. One where he worked in construction, rather than prioritizing his education. Now 16 years old, Mahmoud arrived to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq when he was a baby after his...