Tagged: Iraq

Responding to Iraq’s learning crisis

Three years after Mosul was retaken from the so-called Islamic State, parts of west Mosul still resemble a warzone with entire neighborhoods laid waste. Buildings remain collapsed into each other like a deck of cards. They create a dangerous mashup of bricks and steel that loom over children and families fighting to resume their lives as… Read more →←

A child sleeping alone in a tent

Story also available in: العربية Español Français

“We are barely breathing.”

Over 7,000 new Syrian refugees – nearly half of them children – have fled the conflict in northeastern Syria and arrived into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Many of them are women, children and the elderly. Almost all of them walked long distances through the night, hoping to reach safety. They arrive in physical and mental distress.… Read more →←

A school girl collects water in her hands from a communal water tap.

Story also available in: 中文 العربية Français

In Basra: Oil in abundance, but little water to drink

Iraq’s southern city of Basra was once a thriving port city. In its heyday, it was described as the “Venice of the east” due to the numerous canals and bridges all over the city. The comparisons with Venice are long gone. Today, the situation is bleak. Basra’s canals are polluted with filth, algae and bacteria. The riverbanks are… Read more →←

A girl stands next to a cardboard cutout of a woman with a portrait stuck to it.

Impact

Story also available in: العربية

“I choose education, not marriage”

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Balance for Better”. UNICEF spoke to Kaiy Abdalstar, an Iraqi lawyer and activist working to improve the rights of girls and women in Iraq. “When I was 12 years old, my father told me I could no longer go to school. I remember being scared and sad on that day,” said Kaiy… Read more →←

Story also available in: العربية Español

Vaccines for every child in Mosul

Dr. Rivah and her colleagues at Al-Quds Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) in West Mosul, Iraq have their hands full trying to keep two-year-old Mohammed still long enough to administer a polio vaccine. Eventually, they calm him enough to give him two vaccines in a row. By the time Mohammed realizes what has happened and the tears start… Read more →←

A women and some children carry boxes as a UNICEF volunteer looks on.

Insider

Story also available in: العربية

A lifetime away from reality: Bittersweet Christmas

The holiday season is a mixed bag of thoughts, emotions, and reflections especially when working abroad. 2017 has been a difficult year in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing violent conflict defined much of the first half of the year. Political instability and fallout unbalanced the second half. As an international… Read more →←

A woman in a blue headscarf holds a baby outside a tent.

Story also available in: العربية

An early arrival

Thirteen year old Mona is washing dishes out front of her tent. Living with her mother, Harzia, aunt and grandmother, Sabria, the tent is a largely female space. Except there is Ali. At four months old, he does not take up much space in these close quarters, but his presence is notable. He is nestled into one corner of the tent so he… Read more →←

A boy in a green shirt stands in front of piled up boxes.

Story also available in: العربية Français 中文 Español

Three years without a home

“I’m from Zummar, a village close to the Syrian border. It’s been three years since my family and I left there. We had to go because of all the rockets and things. It was really dangerous. So we went to Mosul.” “I used to go to school in Zummar, but not in Mosul. I don’t know how to read or write. It’s been so long since I… Read more →←

A boy holding a box with a UNICEF label on it

Insider