Tagged: Iraq

A child sleeping alone in a tent

“We are barely breathing.”

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية Español
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.

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

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية Français 中文
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.

“I choose education, not marriage”

Impact

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Story also available in: العربية
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 →←

Vaccines for every child in Mosul

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية Español
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.

A lifetime away from reality: Bittersweet Christmas

Insider

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Story also available in: العربية
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.

An early arrival

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية
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.

Three years without a home

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية Español Français 中文
“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

Bringing aid to Mosul : An insider’s perspective

Insider

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Story also available in: العربية Français
Atheer leans back in his chair to gather his thoughts. We’re sitting in the anonymity of a crowded lunch room on the UN compound in Erbil — as UNICEF Iraq’s Emergency Coordinator for the Mosul crisis, Atheer makes every minute of his day count. He is a man with a lot on his mind. Military operations to retake Mosul and the… Read more →←
Sajad applies for asylum.

“I’d be a superhero…” Sajad Al-Faraji: after Iraq

Children in emergencies

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Presevo, Serbia, November 2015   “I don’t have any hope, I was born without hope,” says Sajad Al-Faraji, a 15-year-old boy traveling from Basra, Iraq. Sajad is with his older sister, younger brother and his mother on his way to a train station that’s exclusively serving refugees in southern Serbia. I’m on assignment for… Read more →←
People stand around machinery in a room

Creative solutions to restore critical services in Mosul

Children in emergencies

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The conflict in Mosul has displaced nearly 100,000 people, but almost a million people are still in the city. Many of those in newly retaken neighbourhoods have been left without any proper services. UNICEF’s Chief of Water and Sanitation Ruben Um Bayiha talks about the challenges of providing safe water and sanitation services to both… Read more →←

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