Boy receiving food package from Islamic Relief staff member

Iraq

Recurring conflict and political instability have shattered the lives of families and communities across Iraq and hindered stability and growth across the nation. A staggering 4.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 1.4 million people who are internally displaced inside Iraq. For those who have been forced to leave their homes to seek shelter in abandoned buildings, displacement camps and makeshift shelters, the situation on the ground is particularly dire. Damaged and neglected water and sanitation systems allow illnesses such as diarrhoea to spread, with a particularly harmful effect on children. As hospitals struggle to cope, a lack of medicines and supplies mean that many people cannot access the care they so desperately need.

Without access to clean safe water, education, health services and a stable income, millions of people are living in poverty, facing poor health and an uncertain future.

The situation in Iraq

Recurring conflict and political instability have shattered the lives of families and communities across Iraq.

23%

of Iraqis live on less than $2.20 (£1.60) a day (UNDP, 2021)

3.2 million

school-aged children in Iraq do not attend school (UNICEF, 2021)

45%

of young people (aged 15-24) are not in education or employment (UNDP, 2021)

4 in 10

people do not have access to a safe source of drinking water (UNDP, 2021)

Islamic Relief in Iraq

Islamic Relief is working in solidarity with communities across Iraq to save lives and build brighter futures.

We provide essential nutritional and non-food items to serve newly displaced communities. We have also worked with local schools and health centres supplying medical equipment to local hospitals since 1997.

Upon opening our permanent office in Baghdad in 2003, we’ve continued to work alongside local communities to provide immediate assistance such as emergency food supplies and health equipment, as well as offering additional health, and psychological support.

With the ongoing conflict in Iraq, we have been working tirelessly with other humanitarian agencies, including UNICEF and the UN’s World Food Programme, to provide assistance to people across a wide area in Anbar, Baghdad, Dohok, Karkuk, Ninewa, Saleheddin and around Erbil.

We support thousands of displaced people, including refugees from the Syrian and Palestinian conflicts, who have fled their homes to seek safety in Iraq.

We’ve rehabilitated several schools and health centres and also distribute Qurbani and Ramadan food assistance, benefiting thousands of Iraqi families and providing food aid and educational support for several orphans through one-to-one sponsorship.