Tagged: Iraq

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 →←
A boy in a shirt and tie in his classroom.

Schools rise from the rubble in Anbar

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: Français Español العربية
UNICEF Representative in Iraq Peter Hawkins recently visited schools in Anbar province. As tens of thousands of families return to Anbar, UNICEF is rehabilitating 100 schools and in August launched a ‘Back to School’ campaign to reach about 70,000 girls, boys and families to encourage enrollment.   I visited Anbar earlier this… Read more →←
A woman stands with her family.

“We can’t go home, so we need to send our children to school.”

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: Français
The village of Hasansham, which until a few months ago was the scene of heavy fighting, has a surreal quality. It’s situated in a beautiful, seemingly tranquil river valley; one that’s dotted by stark stone outcrops. The houses are either a drab sandy colour, or bare concrete. As such, they blend with the arid countryside, so it’s… Read more →←
Little girl standing in front of an open gate

Water on the front line near Mosul

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: Français
Al Houd, south of Mosul , was retaken by Iraqi security forces last week. Two days later, UNICEF sent a mission to deliver clean water and hygiene kits to the town’s 1,500 families. UNICEF Chief of Communication Sharon Behn Nogueira was there. The sky was filled with ominous black clouds from oil fields that were set on fire by ISIL… Read more →←
Five little girls sit at their school desk, smiling, their books open on the desk

Time to invest Iraq’s wealth in its future

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية
Recently I visited a primary school in Basra as part of a UNICEF team. As our plane landed at Basra airport by night, I could see flames shooting out of the oil wells that dot the landscape. Basra, which used to be best known for its port – Sinbad the Sailor journeyed from there – is now synonymous with oil. Basra has the largest oil… Read more →←
A woman with others standing around her.

Families adrift in northern Iraq

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية
She is only 36, but looks about ten years older. Her name, Ghaniyah, means “wealthy woman” in Arabic. But she sleeps in the open with her husband and four children on thin mattresses opposite a construction site, separated from the sky by a poorly fixed strip of cloth that hangs overhead, blowing in the wind. After they had to run… Read more →←

A new day in Qayyarah, Iraq

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية Español
The Iraqi army retook control of Qayyarah from armed groups on August 28. A day later, UNICEF took part in a mission to assess the needs of families living there. It’s the first time in two years that the United Nations has reached a town that’s been under the control of armed groups.  There are 15,000 people in Qayyarah, as well… Read more →←
Little girl walks in front of rows of children sitting at desks

Sheltering amid destruction in Haji Ali

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: العربية
Since May 2016, more than 100,000 Iraqis have been displaced in the Mosul corridor as military operations continue to prepare for the liberation of Mosul. The United Nations estimates that up to 1.5 million people could be affected. The recently displaced need life-saving emergency assistance, including fresh water, medicine, shelter and… Read more →←
A group of children outside a building

Virtual Obama meets a young Iraqi entrepreneur

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Story also available in: Français 中文 العربية Español
In Harsham Camp on the outskirts of Erbil, there’s a window on the world — and it’s painted bright gold. The displacement camp is home to a Portal – a space where immersive audio visual technology allows people from all over the world to virtually meet and share ideas. When you step into a Portal, you feel as if you are in the… Read more →←

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