Iraq: Food for Internally Displaced Families
Since the fall of Saddam in 2003, Christians in Iraq have been targets of violence. The UNHCR (The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) reports that the "security environment and political climate has steadily worsened for religious minorities in Iraq since the 2003 toppling of the former regime" . While millions of Iraqi citizens live in fear, Christians are "especially vulnerable" because of their religion.
The Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk stated that Christians are the "'target of a campaign of liquidation'" and that Christians in Mosul are fleeing "'ethnic-religious cleansing".
Many of the Cristians of Iraq have fled abroad while the ones who have stayed in the coutry, have to large parts found refuge within the semiautonomous region in the north of Iraq, Kurdistan.
These families face a number of challenges such as a very high rate of unemployment, high living costs (rent) etc.
In order to respond to the situation, Dorcas Aid International, assists more than 300 families a month with food. The food bags are distributed in the Nineveh region (city of Mosul and villages around) as well as in Kurdistan (Erbil, Kirkuk, Dohuk and several other locations).
-"Thank you so much for the food. This is a tremendous help for our family!" a woman (who wishes to stay anonymous), originally from Baghdad and now living in Erbil, tells Dorcas Aid.
The individuals in the photos below have been made unrecognizable due to security-reasons.
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Yousif, a local volunteer in the Dorcas food-relief project, hands over food to a family in the insecure area of Nineveh.
In October 2008, there were surges in violence against the Christian community in Mosul, a place where Christians have lived for some 1,800 years. The surges provoked an exodus of Christians from the city. Today, March 2009, many Christians have returned to the area but still face many difficulties. |
Safou, one of the volunteers in the Dorcas food-distribution projects regularly.
Unemployment is a major problem among the Christians IDPs. Getting a job is difficult. The food-assistance is therefore of great help for the recipients. |
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Once a month, the food is bought, packed in bags and distributed. All the bags can not be distributed in one day - instead, they are kept in storage-rooms at the different distribution points. This picture if from a church in Ainkawa. |
| Fawsi and his daughter Nour used to live in the Dora neighborhood in Baghdad - an area where most residents were Christians. After the fall of Saddam a wave of persecution of Christians and other minorities erupted. Fawsi and Nour fled to the North of Iraq some 8 months ago when life in Baghdad became too difficult: Fawsi and his daughter were threatened to their life and their home bombed. Fawsi is too sick to work. His daughter Nour has found a job but earns only US$ 200 a month. The rent for the small apartment they live in is US$ 300. Fawsi and Nour are very thankful for the food they received from Dorcas. |
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One of the 300 families that receive food-aid. This family fled from Baghdad to the North of Iraq in 2005. Azra and her husband Bashar have two small children. They also care for Bashar's handicapped parents who fled with them from Baghdad.
Even though they feel and are safer in the North of Iraq, life is hard, because none of them have been able to find a job.
-"Thank you Dorcas for helping us!!!" says Azra. |
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