Member Activity Report IRAQ July 2009

InterAction Member Activity Report
Iraq and its Neighbors

A Guide to Humanitarian and Development Efforts of InterAction Member
Organizations
July 2009
Photo Courtesy of Relief International

Produced by Lindsay Stepp
With the Humanitarian Policy and Practice Team, InterAction
And with the support of a cooperative agreement with USAID/OFDA
1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20036

Phone: (202) 667-8227 Fax: (202) 667-8236
Website: www.interaction.org
Table of Contents
Table of Contents:
Maps of Iraq and the Middle East............................................................................................2
Maps of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.........................................................................................3
Background Summary…………………………………………………….……………….…4
Report Summary…………………………………………………………………….………..7
Organizations by Country……………………………………………………………………8
Organizations by Sector Activity…………………………………………….……….…..….9
Glossary of Acronyms………………………………………………………….……….…..10
Member Activity Reports:
Air Serv International……………………………..…………………………………...……12
Catholic Relief Services……...…………………………………………….……...………..13
CHF International……………………………………………………………..……..….......18
International Catholic Migration Commission……………………………………..……….20
International Medical Corps……………………………………………………...……........23
International Relief and Development………………………………………….......…........27
International Rescue Committee…………………………………………………..…..........30
LIFE for Relief and Development………………………..………………………........……34
Mercy Corps………………………………………………………………………..……….39
Relief International…………………………………………………………………....…….43
Save the Children………………………………………………………………..………….47
Women for Women International…………………………………………………………...51
1
Maps of Iraq and the Middle East
Maps courtesy of Central Intelligence Agency / World Fact Book
Iraq
The Middle East

2
Maps of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon
Individual country maps courtesy of Central Intelligence Agency / World Fact Book
Jordan Syria
Lebanon
3
Background Summary
Background Summary
Decades of conflict and neglect have taken a heavy toll on Iraqi society, basic services and
economic development. Under the authoritarian rule of Saddam Hussein, warfare, sanctions
and human rights abuses became a way of life for many Iraqis. Now, following Iraq’s most
recent war, Iraqis and neighboring countries face the largest displacement crisis in the Middle
East since 1948. While democratic transition and an improved security situation provide
room for optimism, these gains are fragile and reversible, and some areas in Iraq remain very
dangerous. As a result, many displaced Iraqis are unable to return to their homes safely,
voluntarily and sustain themselves there.
Millions of Iraqis remain displaced, both within Iraq’s borders and in neighboring countries,
and millions more, while not displaced, are vulnerable. Not surprisingly, the influx of refugee
flows into neighboring countries has put a considerable strain on states such as Syria, Jordan
and Lebanon. The number and substantial needs of the displaced, in addition to the impact the
crisis has had on surrounding countries, have resulted in one of the greatest humanitarian
crises in the world.
A History of Displacement
Even before the U.S.-led invasion, Iraqis suffered the consequences of displacement under
the rule of Saddam Hussein and his Ba’athist regime. Armed conflicts, such as the Iran-Iraq
War from 1980 to 1988, the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the first Gulf War, resulted in
considerable numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees leaving the
country. In addition, Hussein’s practice of eliminating dissidents and potential political
opposition to consolidate his power led to the expulsion of thousands of Iraqi people. During
Hussein’s rule, the Ba’athists also forcibly displaced Kurds and Shi’ites (including Marsh
Arabs), as well as Kurdish, Turkmen and Assyrian (Christian) minorities in the Kirkuk
region.
Thus, prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the country had already produced one of the
largest refugee populations in the world. In addition to the more than 1 million internally
displaced persons fleeing Ba’athist persecution, another 1 to 2 million Iraqis lived abroad,
fearful of returning to Iraq. This fragile backdrop, compounded by the 2003 invasion of Iraq,
has had devastating consequences for the country.
Other Populations of Concern in the Region
While this particular report focuses on displaced and vulnerable Iraqis in the region, a
considerable number of vulnerable non-Iraqi populations require significant attention as
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well. As of February 2009, UNHCR had registered over 41,000 non-Iraqi refugees in Iraq
alone. This number consists mainly of displaced Iranians, Syrians, Sudanese and Palestinians,
and does not take unregistered refugees into account. Displaced Palestinians in the region
remain particularly vulnerable, facing such challenges as harassment, threats of deportation,
arbitrary detention, torture and murder. These populations and the perils they face should not
be overlooked in responses to the humanitarian crisis in the region.
International Response and Responsibility
Given the magnitude and duration of the Iraqi humanitarian crisis, the response from affected
governments remains insufficient. Increasingly, states receiving large numbers of refugees—
primarily Syria, Jordan and Lebanon—have become restrictive in accepting Iraqis into their
societies. Additionally, the broader international community lacks a comprehensive strategy
to deal with the humanitarian crisis in the region, which would address the immediate needs
of the displaced and vulnerable populations and would also prepare for long-term and
sustainable development in Iraq.
In the past, Jordan, Syria, and other neighboring countries have been generous in giving Iraqi
refugees protection. Increasingly, however, resource constraints and security considerations
have led to increased restrictions on entry requirements. Host country governments worry that
the displaced will want to stay permanently, and some citizens fear a loss of jobs, goods and
services to the refugee communities. Changing attitudes and panicked concern have therefore
prompted states to create policies in an ad hoc and often unsympathetic manner. Ambiguous
policies make for an overall nontransparent, makeshift system.
Additionally, much of the international community has failed to accept responsibility for
addressing the crisis and has over the past several years dramatically reduced levels of
funding for Iraqi refugees and IDP assistance. Most Western governments and the United
States in particular, have tended to focus on funding reconstruction and development projects
in Iraq, rather than on the urgent humanitarian needs of the displaced and vulnerable. They
often perceive the refugee and broader humanitarian crisis as problems for regional
governments, and thus permit only a small number of refugees and asylum seekers to resettle
in their countries. This inattention to the humanitarian crisis and the reluctant acceptance of
Iraqi refugees by foreign governments puts displaced and vulnerable Iraqis in a dangerous
position.
Prospects and Challenges
Marked progress in the transition to democracy and in the overall security situation of Iraq
suggests that prospects for stability and peace do exist in the country. Even amid the
challenges of executing a democratic election, January 2009 has been described as the most
peaceful month in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, attesting to the progress toward
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democracy and stability in the country. Though turnout for the election was slightly lower
than expected, some predominantly Sunni areas known to have boycotted votes in the past
showed a marked increase in voter turnout. Overall, this first nationwide election in four
years ran very smoothly. President Barack Obama joined Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki
in praising the election as a success..
Regardless of this improvement, the displacement crisis remains a massive impediment to

true progress toward stability in Iraq. In addition, sectarian and generalized violence continue
to disrupt development and humanitarian efforts. Overwhelmingly, the displaced have limited
access to resources and basic social services. In surrounding states, Iraqis encounter
significant barriers to employment and to access to education and health services meant for
citizens. Even where their presence is permitted in a neighboring country, many Iraqis do not
have the authorization to work, thrusting them into poverty. Within the country, destruction
has resulted in a breakdown of social services including the education and health systems.
Without adequate means to survival, displaced Iraqis face a daunting future and their need for
even basic necessities continues to exhaust the capacities of host governments, humanitarian
NGOs and civil society groups assisting these populations.
Given the overall improvement in the security situation in Iraq, the return of displaced Iraqis
to their homes may appear as the most logical solution. However, rushed and ill-conceived
returns risk further violence and uncertainty, as returnees find themselves in a precarious
position. Many displaced persons cannot return to their communities in the first place, often
for religious and political reasons. Others discover upon return that squatters have taken up
residence in their homes and that the basic social services they lacked during displacement
remain unavailable in Iraq as well. While outsiders often perceive an increase in returning
refugees and IDPs as an indicator of progress, many on the ground recognize the dangers of
hasty returns. The Iraqi government remains ill-equipped at this time to handle massive
waves of returns and communities continue to lack the basic resources, services and safety
needed to sustain a society. Additionally, the forcible return of refugees to an area where they
may be again subjected to persecution violates international refugee and human rights law
under the principle of non-refoulement. Encouraging returns before the government and
social structure are prepared to receive returnees would have deleterious consequences for the
country and its citizens, and for the guarded progress that has been made so far.
Given this fragile backdrop, displaced and vulnerable populations in and around Iraq require
significant attention. The future of the displaced in the Middle East will depend largely on
efforts made by the newly established Iraqi government, increased attention from the
international community and a continued humanitarian presence in the region. More than six
years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, however, no simple solutions appear in sight.
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Report Summary
This report offers international agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the media
and the general public an overview of some of the current humanitarian and development
efforts being provided by InterAction member organizations to vulnerable and displaced
Iraqis and other populations at risk in Iraq and the Middle East. While many populations in
the region deserve attention from the humanitarian community, this particular report focuses
on those at risk as a result of the sprawling humanitarian crisis originating from Iraq’s
borders. The programs and projects described in this report take place mostly in Iraq, in
neighboring countries and in Lebanon and Egypt.
InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations,

has over 180 members operating all over the world. Collectively, InterAction members work
in every developing country of the world on development issues from poverty to disaster
response. The descriptions in this report represent some of the many activities that
InterAction members have taken on in the Middle East. These efforts range from disaster and
emergency relief to education and capacity building and from refugee and migration services
to conflict resolution and human rights programs. Programs focusing on women’s
empowerment, child protection and youth pay particular attention to some of the region’s
most vulnerable persons. In addition, development, water and sanitation, and health care
remain at the center of many member organizations’ efforts to address the needs of the
displaced and vulnerable in the Middle East.
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Organizations by Country
Egypt
Catholic Relief Services
Jordan
Air Serv International
International Catholic Migration Commission
International Medical Corps
International Relief and Development
International Rescue Committee
Life for Relief and Development (LIFE)
Mercy Corps
Save the Children
Iraq
CHF International
LIFE
Mercy Corps
Save the Children
Relief International
Women for Women International
Lebanon
Syria
LIFE
Mercy Corps
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Organizations by Sector Activity
Agriculture and Food Security Save the Children

Catholic Relief Services Women for Women International
Gender Issues/Women in Development
Business Development, Microfinance, Catholic Relief Services
Cooperatives and Credit International Medical Corps
Catholic Relief Services International Rescue Committee
CHF International LIFE
International Relief and Development Women for Women International
Save the Children
Relief International Health Care
Women for Women International Catholic Relief Services
Child Protection/Youth International Medical Corps
LIFE (Orphan Program) International Relief and Development
Save the Children International Rescue Committee
LIFE (including nutrition)
Community Development Save the Children (including nutrition)
International Relief and Development Relief International
Relief International (Civil Society/Labor Union
Development) Human Rights/Peace/Conflict Resolution
Disaster and Emergency Relief International Rescue Committee
AirServ International Mercy Corps
Catholic Relief Services Save the Children (Child & Refugee Rights)
International Medical Corps Relief International
International Relief and Development Women for Women International
LIFE Logistical Support
Mercy Corps Air Serv International (Air transport)
Refugee and Migration Services
Education, Capacity Building & Training International Catholic Migration Commission
Catholic Relief Services International Medical Corps
CHF International International Relief and Development
International Catholic Migration Commission International Rescue Committee
International Relief and Development Rural Development
International Rescue Committee Catholic Relief Services
LIFE International Medical Corps
Mercy Corps International Relief and Development
LIFE
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Glossary of Acronyms
InterAction Members
ANERA American Near East Refugee Aid
CHF CHF International (Cooperative Housing Foundation)
CRS Catholic Relief Services
ICMC International Catholic Migration Commission
IMC International Medical Corps
IRC International Rescue Committee
IRD International Relief and Development
RI Relief International
WfWI Women for Women International
Other Acronyms
ACSI Access to Credit Services Initiative
BPRM/PRM Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration Affairs
(U.S. State Department)
CAG Community Action Group
CAP Community Action Program
CBSP Community-Based Support Program
CHP Cultural Heritage Program
CSP Community Stabilization Program
DFID Department for International Development (United Kingdom)
DOS Department of State
ECA Education and Cultural Affairs (State Department)
ECHO European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department
EGY Employment Generation and Youth
ENT Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist
FDP Family Protection Department
GBV Gender-Based Violence
GYC Global Youth Connectivity
DRC Danish Refugee Council
DRL Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (U.S. State Department)
HAI Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq
ICCM Iraq Community-Based Conflict Mitigation program
ICT Information and Communication Technology
IDP Internally Displaced Person
IMHI Iraqi Mental Health Initiative
IMMDF Iraq Middle Market Development Foundation
INGO International Nongovernmental Organization
JOAC Jersey Overseas Aid Commission
JPF Japan Platform
JRC Jordan Red Crescent
JRF Jordan River Foundation
MMU Mobile Medical Unit
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MODM Ministry of Displacement and Migration
MOE Ministry of Education
MOH Ministry of Health
MOLSA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
MSME Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises
NFI Nonfood Items
NGO Nongovernmental Organization
OFDA Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
OTI Office of Transition Initiatives (U.S. Department of Defense)
PAC Protection Assistance Centers
PDS Public Distribution System
UAE United Arab Emirates
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UNOCHA UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
USAID U.S. Agency for International Development
USDS U. S. Department of State
VAW Violence Against Women
WFP World Food Program
WHO World Health Organization
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US Contact Field Contact

Karen Cilberti Ala Smum
Grants and Contracts Coordinator Base Manager, Amman
Air Serv International Air Serv Internatioinal /
410 Rosedale Court, Suite 190 Iraq Humanitarian Aviation
Warrenton, VA 20186 29, Odeh Abu Tayeh Str, Shmeisani,
Phone: 540-428-2323 x124 Amman-Jordan
Email: kcilberti@airserv.org Cell: (+962) (79) 5454-343
Email: asmum@airserv.org
Introduction to Air Serv International

Air Serv International’s mission is to increase humanitarian access to the many populations in
need through Aviation, especially those countries with populations at highest risk due to security
problems and natural disasters.
Air Serv International in the Region

In support of USAID’s Strategic Objective #6, Air Serv provides flight services to development,
humanitarian and diplomatic staff requiring transport from Amman to Baghdad and Erbil.
Having provided humanitarian flights in Iraq since 2003, Air Serv continues to be granted
landing permits. Air Serv has its base in Amman, Jordan and flies out of Marka airport near
downtown Amman. Air Serv receives ongoing aviation security information in coordination
with Iraqi Civil Aviation, Jordan Civil Aviation and the US military based at the Baghdad
International Airport.
Sectors into which programs in the region fall:

 Disaster and Emergency Relief
 Logistical Support – air transport
Scale of Programs:
Flight schedules change throughout the year in an effort to provide transport to the highest
number of passengers possible. Throughout the year, Air Serv can provide transport for up to
10,000 passengers and 13,000 metric tons of cargo/supplies for those working in Iraq and the
region. We also provide security and medical evacuations, including for those Iraqis (both
children and adults) targeted to receive surgeries outside of Iraq.
Funding source:
USAID grant – Air Serv must share the cost through ticket sales.
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Cullen Larson Mark Schnellbaecher
Regional Representative & Advocacy, Regional Director - Europe/Middle East
Europe/Middle East Catholic Relief Services
Overseas Support Department Sodeco Street, Freij Building, 8th floor
Catholic Relief Services Beirut, Lebanon
228 W. Lexington St. Phone: +961 (1) 398-990
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3413 Email: mschnellbaecher@eme.crs.org
Phone: 410-951-7362
Email: clarson@crs.org
Introduction to Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official relief and development agency of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops and the U.S. Catholic community. CRS assists people in need in
more than 100 countries, serving over 80 million people on the basis of need, without regard to
race, religion or nationality. CRS responds to victims of natural and manmade disasters, provides
assistance to the poor to alleviate their immediate needs, supports self-help programs that
involve communities in their own development, helps people restore and preserve their dignity
and realize their potential, and helps educate Americans to fulfill their moral responsibilities to
alleviate human suffering, remove its causes and promote social justice. The agency maintains
strict standards of efficiency, accountability and transparency.
Catholic Relief Services in the Region

Catholic Relief Services helps Iraqis in the Middle East live their lives in dignity by providing
access to food, housing, education, and job training. CRS is currently assisting 5,000 Iraqis
within Iraq and approximately 30,000 Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
Business Development, Cooperatives and Credit

In Lebanon, CRS encourages informal business opportunities.
Disaster and Emergency Relief

In the autumn of 2008, when violence drove thousands of Iraqis from their homes in the north of
Iraq, a CRS-funded program helped internally displaced families with food parcels.
In Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, CRS programs provide items like diapers, mattresses, heaters,
and blankets to destitute Iraqi refugee families. For especially vulnerable Iraqis, CRS provides
cookware and food parcels with items like rice, cooking oil, and beans. In Lebanon, CRS funds
food vouchers so refugees can buy the food items they need. CRS in Syria provides only non-
food items (NFI).
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Education/Training
CRS’ tuition programs in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt help Iraqi refugee families pay for private
schools, because refugee children are usually not allowed to attend public schools in their
Middle Eastern host countries. For example, a CRS-UNHCR program in Egypt pays partial
tuition so that more than 2,100 Iraqi refugee children can attend school in and around Cairo. In
Lebanon, CRS has supported about 250 in school, and 50 in vocational education. CRS partners
also provide children with school supplies like books and backpacks, and CRS has funded
school furniture like desks.
CRS’ vocational training programs for Iraqi refugees help Iraqis learn skills in computers, cell
phone repair, hairdressing, auto repair and other fields. Because Iraqi refugees are often not able
to get work permits in Middle Eastern countries, these skills can be used to start home-based
businesses so refugees can support their families, and to prepare them for employment upon
return to Iraq or resettlement.

CRS programs for Iraqi refugees in the Middle East pay special attention to women-headed
households. CRS funds a Well Baby program in Iraq that teaches mothers how to treat their
babies’ illnesses and keep them healthy.
Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services
Iraqi girl holds a baby refugee Refugee boy looks from beside his mother
Health Care
CRS programs in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon pay for medicine like insulin, operations like heart
surgery, and treatment like kidney dialysis for destitute Iraqi refugees. Because Iraqi refugees in
many Middle Eastern countries are not allowed to access public health care services, many are in
danger of having no safety net if they fall ill. In Syria, CRS provides both inpatient (surgeries)
and outpatient medical assistance (doctor’s visits, lab work, X-rays, specialists). As previously
mentioned, CRS also funds a Well Baby program in Iraq that teaches mothers how to treat their
babies’ illnesses and keep them healthy.
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Human Rights/Peace/Conflict Resolution
A CRS-funded program in Baghdad provides nonviolence courses to Iraqis, including youth. It
focuses on developing peacebuilding skills.

In Lebanon, CRS funds legal assistance to Iraqis detained because of visa issues. It also funds
food and non-food items like fans and washing machines for refugees detained in holding cells
because of their irregular immigration status.
Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

Father holds the falsified passport used to escape to safety from Iraq
Location of Projects or Programs:

 Lebanon: Across Lebanon in relevant Sunni, Shia, and Christian areas where Iraqi
refugees are settling: Beirut, Saida, Tyre, and the Bekaa Valley
 Jordan: Amman, Zarqa, Irbid, Fuheis and Karak
 Egypt: Cairo
 Syria
 Iraq: Baghdad and the north of Iraq
Funding sources:
 Lebanon and Syria: United States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
(PRM), and private CRS funds
 Egypt: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
 Jordan: Private CRS funds
 Iraq: Private CRS funds
Scale of programs:
Jordan: $70,000 for around 200 beneficiaries for a range of assistance, medical, formal
education and vocational education, food and non food items.
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Syria: Approximately $3 million currently serving around 15,000 individuals with a range of
assistance -- Non-Food Items, education and vocational training, health assistance and
psychosocial support.
Iraq: Around $300,000 with around 5,000 beneficiaries helping malnourished children, pregnant
women, the elderly, the displaced, and other vulnerable Iraqis with food, non-food items,
medical care and capacity building.
Egypt: For the 2008-2009 school year, about one quarter of a $1M UNHCR grant for refugee
tuition assistance enabled 2,224 eligible Iraqi students to attend private schools in and around
Cairo. The remaining funding served Sudanese, Somali and other refugee children. The total
grant including Iraqis and non-Iraqis was $1M.
Lebanon: Approx $2 million currently, serving approx 14,000 Iraqi refugees with a complete
range of assistance -- Non-Food Items like diapers and mattresses, tuition money for children,
and vocational training for adults, medical care (inpatient and outpatient), small grants for
graduates of vocational training,
Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies:

 Regular communication with UN agencies in coordination meetings.
 Consultations and information sharing with other PRM-funded INGOs.
Jordan: CRS' partner, Caritas Jordan, is part of the coordination with different committees such
as UNHCR, and other international NGOs as well as with governmental ministries such as MOH
and MOE. Caritas Jordan is a main partner with UNHCR in Jordan and receives direct funds
from UNHCR.
Syria: As CRS is not registered we cannot attend UNHCR sector meetings.
Lebanon: UNHCR is the leading coordination mechanism in Lebanon and we attend all
meetings which they convene. We do bilateral coordination with the other biggest implementers
of such programming in Lebanon (IMC, DRC, Chaldean Church). We work with Lebanese
General Security (Caritas and UNHCR worked together to get General Security to declare an
amnesty for Iraqi refugees to sort out their status).
Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services
Iraqi Teen Iraqi Boy
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Imane Hamdi fled Iraq in 2006 after her
oldest son was kidnapped. Her youngest son
eventually left Lebanon for Greece, where he
now lives illegally. Hamdi is living at the
CRS-supported Reyfoun Shelter just north of
Beirut. Here she receives all food,
accommodation, and services for free until
she can be resettled through the United
Nations.
Iraqi refugees meet with CRS staff and social

workers of the Caritas Lebanon Migrant
Center in a new field office in the Zeatrich
community of Beirut. This community is
home to hundreds of families of Iraqi
refugees, many of whom arrive in Lebanon
with little or no money.
Iraqi refugee Bahiga Baba stands with other

women attending a CRS-supported training
hosted by the Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center
in Beirut. Baba has completed 12 such
training classes covering everything from
child care and AIDS prevention to issues of
gender violence - all provided as part of an
array of services offered through the migrant
center.
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CHF International
US Contact Field Contact:

CHF International Ahmad Lamaa
8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 800 Director of Business and Operations
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3440 USA ACSI Iraq
Phone: 301-587-4700 Email: alamaa@chfacsi.org
www.chfinternational.org
Introduction to CHF International

CHF International's mission is to be a catalyst for long-lasting positive change in low- and
moderate-income communities around the world, helping them to improve their social,
economic and environmental conditions.
CHF International in the Region

Recovering from decades of conflict, Baathist party domination, and dramatic regime change,
the people of Iraq face numerous challenges in rebuilding the political, social, and economic
institutions of their society. CHF International aims to improve the social and economic
circumstances of families and communities while strengthening the communities’ use of
democratic decision-making.
Access to Credit Services

CHF’s Access to Credit Services Initiative (ACSI) is a micro-lending program that targets the
working poor in need of small business and home improvement loans. Via loan products that
are compliant with Islamic lending principles, ACSI seeks to assist entrepreneurs in
strengthening their businesses and stabilizing their incomes, creating and sustaining jobs, and
contributing to the economic revitalization of Iraq.
As of June 2008, ACSI had distributed over US $122 million to clients in Iraq. ACSI has
become the largest microfinance program in Iraq and one of CHF International’s largest
microfinance programs worldwide. Currently, ACSI has over US$28 million in portfolio
outstanding, representing approximately 80% of the microfinance market in Iraq.
Community Driven Development

CHF implements the third phase of USAID’s Community Action Program (CAP) in South
Central Iraq and Anbar Governorate. CAP III is based on the premise that local community
needs are best met by ensuring the active partnership of all stakeholders – citizens, local
government, business and social leaders – in identifying priorities and designing interventions.
CAP I and II focused primarily on building the capacity of community action groups (CAGs) to
fill the gap of local government and exercise true grassroots democracy by implementing
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projects on their own where necessary, and in partnership with local government where possible,
to meet community needs. CAP III focuses on furthering the evolution of community-centered
development by building the capacity of local government to take on its proper governance role
as the locus of community needs assessment, prioritization, project design, funding and
implementation.
Photo Courtesy of CHF International

Iraqis participate in a town hall style community meeting.
Middle Market Lending

The Iraq Middle Market Development Foundation (IMMDF) is a U.S. 501(c)3 tax-exempt
charity created by CHF International in 2004. IMMDF is funded by the US Overseas Private
Investment Corporation and provides debt capital exclusively to Iraqi owned small & medium-
sized enterprises operating in Iraq. Most borrowers use IMMDF capital to upgrade or expand
operations by purchasing new equipment, building new facilities and financing raw materials. In
its first four years in operations it has disbursed nearly $55.5 million to 35 clients.
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US Contact Field Contact:

Jane Bloom, Liaison Officer Zeljko Toncic Regional Director Middle East
ICMC, Inc. ICMC Middle East
4th floor, USCCB PO Box 3304
3211 4th Street NE 11181 Amman
Washington, DC 20017 Jordan
USA Tel: +962 6 565 6836
Tel: +1 202 541 3389 Email: toncic@icmc.net
Email: bloom@icmc.net
Introduction to ICMC
The International Catholic Migration Commission serves and protects uprooted people;
refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants, regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or
nationality. With staff and programs in over 40 countries, ICMC responds to the challenges
of people on the move and their communities, advocating and implementing rights-based
policies and durable solutions through its worldwide membership of Catholic bishops’
conferences, and alongside government and non-governmental partners.
ICMC in the Region

ICMC General Objectives in the Middle East:
 To improve the overall protection of Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria through
comprehensive needs assessments, outreach, targeted assistance and close
cooperation with UNHCR and other NGOs
 To meet the acute humanitarian and medical assistance needs of extremely
vulnerable Iraqi refugees and host country nationals in Jordan and Syria
 To contribute to the development of transferable professional skills and capacities
and provide opportunities for continuous education for Iraqi refugees in Jordan and
Syria
 To contribute to the protection and well being of victims of trafficking in Lebanon
by providing safe shelter, medical, legal, psychological and repatriation assistance
 To contribute to legislative change, improved coordination and improved
implementation of existing law enforcement mechanisms to enhance protection of
victims of trafficking in Lebanon
Locations of ICMC projects and programs

 Jordan: Amman, Fuheis, Irbid, Karak, Madaba, Zarqa
 Lebanon: Greater Beruit
 Syria: Greater Damascus
ICMC Project donors

 European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid-ECHO
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 United States Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
(BPRM)
 United States Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in
Persons (G/TIP)
Current ICMC Middle East Programs
Humanitarian Assistance for Vulnerable Iraqis in Jordan

Sectors: Refugee and Migration Services, Health Care, Education/Training
Location: Jordan (Amman, Zarqa, Irbid, Karak, Fuheis, Madaba)
Target population: 7,680 extremely vulnerable Iraqi refugees and Jordanians
Duration: September 1, 2008-August 31, 2009
Donor: United States Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(BPRM)
Project partners: Caritas Jordan
Activities:
 Distribution of NFIs (including blankets, mattresses, heaters etc) to Iraqis and
Jordanians
 Outpatient health care (such as medication, medical tests, check-ups by General
Practitioners and Specialists) for Iraqis and Jordanians
 Inpatient health care for urgent cases (including complicated deliveries,
appendicitis, heart surgeries, etc.) for Iraqis and Jordanians
 Health awareness sessions on important medical topics, such as dental hygiene,
chronic disease management, nutrition etc for Iraqis and Jordanians
 Remedial education to help Iraqi refugee who are out of school or at risk of
dropping out of school catch up with the Jordanian curriculum
 Vocational and life skills training for Iraqi youth and young adults on a large variety
of subjects, including sewing, carpentry, secretarial work, English, computers,
Arabic and English typing etc.
Humanitarian Assistance for Vulnerable Iraqis in Syria, Sept. 2008-Sept. 2009

Sectors: Refugee and Migration Services, Health Care, Education/Training
Location: Syria (Greater Damascus)
Target population: 8,457 extremely vulnerable Iraqi refugees and Syrians
Duration: September 15, 2008-September 14, 2009
Donor: United States Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Project partners: Terre des Hommes Syria
Activities:
 Distribution of NFIs (including blankets, mattresses, heaters etc.) to Iraqis and
Syrians
 Outpatient health care (such as medication, medical tests, check-ups by General
Practitioners and Specialists) for Iraqis and Syrians
 Inpatient health care for urgent cases (including complicated deliveries,
appendicitis, heart surgeries etc.) for Iraqis and Syrians
21
 Distribution of health awareness brochures on important topics, such as child
nutrition, chronic disease management, first aid, hepatitis, winter illnesses (such as
flu, bronchitis) to Iraqis and Syrians
 Remedial education to help Iraqi refugees who are out of school or at risk of
dropping out of school catch up with the Syrian curriculum
 Life skills training for Iraqi youth and young adults on English and computer skills
 Vocational training for Iraqi youth and adults on a variety of subjects, including hair
dressing, make up, sewing, repair and maintenance of mobile phones and computers
etc.
Humanitarian Assistance for Vulnerable Iraqis in Syria, July 2008-July 2009

Sectors: Refugee and Migration Services, Health Care
Location: Syria (Greater Damascus)
Target population: 7,600 extremely vulnerable Iraqi refugees and Syrians
Duration: July 15, 2008-July 14, 2009
Donor: European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid-ECHO
Project partners: Terre des Hommes Syria
Activities:
 Distribution of NFIs (including blankets, mattresses, heaters etc) to Iraqis and
Syrians
 Comprehensive inpatient health care (including cataract and retinal detachment
surgeries, normal and complicated deliveries, cardiac catherization, hysterectomies
etc.) for Iraqis and Syrians
 Distribution of health awareness brochures on important topics, such as child
nutrition, chronic disease management, first aid, hepatitis, winter illnesses (such as
flu, bronchitis etc.) to Iraqis and Syrians
Protection and Assistance for Victims of Trafficking in Lebanon

Sectors: Refugee and Migration Services, Health Care
Location: Lebanon (Greater Beirut)
Target population: 60 victims of trafficking
Duration: May 1, 2009 – May 1, 2011
Donor: United States Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in
Persons (G/TIP)
Project partners: Caritas Lebanon
Activities:
 Safe shelter and comprehensive humanitarian, medical and psychosocial assistance
for victims of trafficking
 Legal counseling and legal representation for victims of trafficking
 Life skills training to enhance income generating skills for victims of trafficking
 Repatriation assistance and grants to start a new life in their home country for
victims of trafficking
 Awareness building sessions on trafficking in human beings for Lebanese law
enforcement personnel
 Coordination efforts with other stakeholders to combat trafficking in human beings
22
U.S. Contact Field Contacts

Ben Hemingway Iraq
Deputy Director, International Operations Agron Ferati
1313 L St., NW, Suite 220 Phone: 964 (0) 790 1 912 165
Washington DC, 20005 Email: aferati@imcworldwide.org
Phone: (202) 828.5155
Email: bhemingway@imcworldwide.org Jordan
Chris Skopec
Phone: 00962 796845637
Email: chris.skopec@imcjordan.org
Lebanon
Colin Lee
Phone: 00961 70 181314
Email: clee@imcworldwide.org
Syria
Hussien Ibrahim
Phone: 00963 6126381
Email: hibrahim@imcworldwide.org
Introduction to International Medical Corps

International Medical Corps (IMC) is a global humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to
saving lives and relieving suffering through relief and development programs. Established in
1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, IMC is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian
organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related
activities that build local capacity in areas where few organizations dare to serve. By offering
training, medical care, and other health interventions to people at highest risk, IMC rehabilitates
devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.
International Medical Corps in the Region

International Medical Corps’ long-term regional strategy in the Middle East is to promote
stability by providing support to vulnerable communities that will address issues of poverty,
thereby creating the enabling conditions for peace and positive social change. IMC is providing
assistance to Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria with various health and mental health
services. IMC emphasizes the importance of preparing Iraqi families for eventual return to Iraq
and works closely with the regional missions to establish a unified and coordinated approach for
their return.
As the rate of return increases, the need to improve service provision for returnees becomes ever
more critical. As such, International Medical Corps is working very closely with the Ministry of
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Migration and Displacement of Iraq to enhance and expand its internal capacity to efficiently
channel existing financial, human, and intellectual resources to provide immediate and effective
needs-based assistance, including registration, legal aid, and protection, to vulnerable IDP and
returnee populations.

International Medical Corps has served people in all of Iraq’s 18 Governorates. In Jordan, IMC
runs programs in Greater Amman. In Lebanon, IMC works in 115 villages of South Lebanon in
addition to the Beirut Southern Suburbs (Dahya), Akkar, Bekaa, and Tripoli. In Syria, IMC
programs are implemented in and around Damascus.
Funding Sources:
BPRM, OTI, UNHCR, OFDA, JOAC, UNICEF, DFID, ECHO, AusAid, WHO, DOS, OFDA,
UNDP
Disaster and Relief

International Medical Corps provides relief and humanitarian assistance to Iraq’s most
vulnerable populations. We have responded to emergencies resulting from violence and
displacement as well as natural disasters and disease outbreaks like cholera. To date, IMC has
responded to more than 60 emergency crises in Iraq and implemented multi-sectoral
interventions in the most difficult operational contexts, including Tel Afar, Mosul, Baquba,
Haditha, Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad, and Al-Qaim.
Education/Training
Training and capacity building are central to International Medical Corps’ work in Iraq and
overall mission. Through its Continuing Medical Education program, IMC trains health
professionals in a variety of health topics such as anesthesia, ophthalmology, emergency
medicine, psychiatry, and obsetrics/gynecology. IMC also trains health professionals in the
management of diseases like tuberculosis and as well as administration of radiation oncology
services in hospitals.
In addition to medical training, International Medical Corps also runs a project in Iraq’s
marshlands that focuses on literacy, economic activities, and cultural heritage to six villages.
IMC has also created Child Friendly Spaces in different areas in Iraq that offer safe places for
children to learn, play, and grow.

International Medical Corps’ Women’s Empowerment program recognizes the key role that
women play in the Iraqi community and seeks to enable the economic and social empowerment
of vulnerable Iraqi women by establishing women centers in Baghdad Al Anbar, Ninewa, and
Thi Qar. The program targets those areas that have experienced high levels of violence that has
left many women vulnerable.
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Health Care
International Medical Corps’ health projects are driven by the need to comprehensively address
the country’s healthcare system and infrastructure. Our approach to health care programming in
Iraq focuses on improving primary, secondary, and tertiary care, building managerial and quality
control, supporting national policy development, and advising the Ministry of Health in its
strategy. Our health activities in Iraq include:
 Improving primary heath by rehabilitating hospitals and primary health centers,
providing medical equipment and supplies, training health workers, establishing
referral systems and protocols, enhancing community outreach and mobile health
care services, offering community health education, and developing integrated health
management systems;
 Delivering programs that provide advanced, practical training for hospital-based
services, including the latest surgical procedures, best practices in medical and
surgical case management, and the latest imaging and radiation therapy technology;
 Collaborating with the Ministry of Health to establish the national policy for
emergency medicine and implement practical training programs for first-responders
and hospital-based professionals.
With funding from BPRM, in Jordan, International Medical Corps’ Jordan-Iraqi Refugee
Assistance Program improves the quality of and access to health care services through its work
with Al-Taj clinic. True to its mission to build self-reliance, IMC also trained clinic staff and
added reproductive services to the clinic.
With funding from BPRM, in Lebanon, International Medical Corps provides primary and
secondary care to Iraqi refugees. Through the Lebanon-Iraqi Assistance Program, Iraqi refugees
and their host populations can access physical examinations, immunizations, laboratory services,
referrals, family planning services, and other health care services. This program also provides
health education to beneficiaries.
With funding from BPRM, in Syria, International Medical Corps provides comprehensive
primary and preventative health care. Staffed with an internal medicine specialist, ENT
specialist, ophthalmologist, gynecologist, dentist, and pediatrician, Iraqi refugees and their
Syrian host populations can receive specialty care as well. The clinics also provide health
education for their beneficiaries.
Government Capacity Building

International Medical Corps has assisted numerous Iraqi ministries in improving their technical,
managerial, and administrative capacities. Most recently, IMC has partnered with MODM,
MOH, and MOLSA to design and deliver capacity-building programs tailored to address each
ministry’s existing gaps and improve the skill sets of senior and middle management. The
success of IMC’s capacity-building programs has led to an increase in requests from Iraqi
ministries calling for the establishment of direct partnerships that will strengthen staff capacity
and improve the quality of services to the population.
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Democracy and Governance
International Medical Corps establishes Development Councils for all of its programs to ensure
community ownership over all interventions. For many marginalized groups, community-led
and civil society initiatives can serve as a medium of change by providing a collective voice for
them to express their needs. Therefore, IMC focuses heavily on marginalized segments of
society, especially women and children.
Mental Health
International Medical Corps understands the importance of mental health interventions
particularly in post-conflict efforts and is committed to addressing the mental health needs of the
populations with which it works. Over the last five years, IMC has implemented mental health
and psychosocial programs in a wide variety of contexts.
In the Middle East, International Medical Corps is providing a wide range of mental health and
psychosocial support. In Iraq and Lebanon, IMC has child-friendly spaces, in Jordan IMC is
providing mental health training to clinic staff and operating a school outreach project that
provides basic mental health screenings for both Iraqi and Jordanian children through mobile
medical units. Lastly, in Syria, IMC will be setting up a social services center providing a wide
range of psychosocial activities for Iraqi and Syrian children and youth.
Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies:

In Iraq, International Medical Corps works closely with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of
Displacement and Migration, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labor and Social
Affairs.
26

Karla Bonnder David Elkins
1621 N Kent St., 4th floor Community Stabilization Program
Arlington, VA 22209 delkins@ird-iq.org
Phone: 702-248-0161
Email: kbonner@ird-dc.org Leslie Gonzalez
Community Action Program
Michele Lemmon lgonzalez@ird-iq.org
1621 N Kent St., 4th floor
Arlington, VA 22209 Gordon Davis
Phone: 702-248-0161 Cultural Heritage Program
Email: mlemmon@ird-dc.org gdavis@ird-iq.org
Hameed Kareem
Humanitarian Assistance Intervention
hkareem@ird-iq.org
Introduction to International Relief and Development

IRD’s mission is to reduce the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable groups and provide tools
and resources needed to increase their self-sufficiency.
International Relief and Development in the Region

The Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq (HAI) program, funded by the U.S. Agency for
International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), provides
humanitarian assistance and relief services to internally displaced people (IDPs) and vulnerable
populations. HAI provides emergency relief supplies, water and sanitation facilities, primary
health care services, income generation activities, return facilitation, training and local capacity
building, and IDP monitoring and reporting to host populations in Dohuk/Ninewa, Kirkuk,
Baghdad, Anbar, Babil, Najaf, and Wasit governorates of Iraq. Since the beginning of the
program in 2005, over 2 million people have benefitted.
Business Development
In order to promote economic growth and create jobs, IRD’s Community Stabilization Program
(CSP) supports established local businesses and helps develop new businesses through its Micro-
Small-Medium Enterprises (MSME) grant program. Business grants range from $500-$100,000
and are designed to encourage existing business owners and potential entrepreneurs to expand or
initiate a business. CSP also offers grantees business management training courses, providing
them with essential managerial skills that will better enable them to successfully start or
maintain their business.
27
Community Development
Since June of 2003 IRD has been implementing the USAID funded Community Action Program
(CAP). CAP empowers communities by facilitating Community Action Groups (CAGs) that
identify, prioritize and address community needs and give the community a voice to local
government. CAP is unique in that it allows the communities to choose the projects and
activities that will most benefit residents, and requires the communities to contribute towards
these projects. IRD/CAP recognizes that Iraq’s development and transition to democracy will be
more efficient and enduring if it is prescribed and led by Iraqis.
To date, CSP has engaged nearly 50,000 Iraq youth in over 100 different CSP-sponsored sports
and arts programs, including soccer competitions, poetry festivals, t-wall painting, and dramatic
presentations, as well as facilitated more harmonious communities through civic education-
oriented activities and rehabilitation of public facilities where Iraqis can interact peacefully.
Education and Training

CSP engages unemployed Iraqi males age 17-25 and other groups at high risk for recruitment
into insurgency by enrolling them in youth activities and/or providing them with training and
employment. CSP also encourages enrollment of women, particularly unemployed widows.
The Employment Generation and Youth (EGY) program under CSP has been widely embraced
by Iraqis nationwide, with enrollment numbers growing at an increasingly rapid pace. Training
and employment activities include valuable hands-on skills training in construction and non-
construction trades, as well as apprenticeship opportunities for graduates and follow-on long-
term job placement assistance; all aimed at increasing sustainable employment and economic
stability.
IRD’s Department of State funded Cultural Heritage Program (CHP) will develop the
professional capacity for Iraq’s museum staff with a two-year professional development
program. The program will target employees of the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and
Heritage, the Iraq National Museum, and other museums. The aim is to build a cadre of
professionals who may be employed as conservators, collection managers, registrars, and other
experts necessary for an effectively functioning museum. This will be done in conjunction with
the Field Museum of Natural History and the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.
Infrastructure
In effort to revitalize Iraqi communities, CSP implements public works programs such as
community clean-up campaigns and small-scale infrastructure repair such as rehabilitation of
schools, clinics, streets, business districts, and canals. CSP also renovates soccer fields, sports
clubs, parks, and other recreational facilities to provide communities with a healthy environment
to engage in social and athletic activities.
CSP supports the agricultural economy through a variety of infrastructure and essential service
projects including 16 irrigation channel restoration projects. These projects involve removing
thick reeds, weeds and silt that accumulate and cause blockages throughout the irrigation
channel networks.
28
IRD, through funding from the U.S. State Department, is helping the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity
expand its capabilities to take on the challenge of tripling Iraq’s electricity generation capacity.
The program will include finding qualified experts to support the Ministry of Electricity in
planning, project management, and reporting; mounting a major public education campaign;
teaching English to Iraqi lawyers working for the Ministry of Electricity; and facilitating
exchange visits of Ministry of Electricity senior and mid-level managers to their counterparts’
power facilities in the United States.
CHP will improve the professional environment in the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad. This
includes rehabilitation of the museum infrastructure, design, and development of new collections
storage facilities, improvements to museum gallery space and to the museum’s conservation
laboratory. This component will be done in conjunction with the Walters Art Museum and the
Winterthur Conservation Program.
IRD’s HAI Program has created jobs and improved access to clean water through the repair of
more than 15.5 kilometers of water supply pipe network, renovation of 28 water storage tanks,
construction of a pump room, and the digging of wells.
Health Care
HAI operates 14 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), which provide outpatient services, referrals,
and screenings to more than 65,300 persons, with some 22,639 children below the age of five
and 14,652 pregnant and reproductive-age women receiving vaccination and medication. The
MMUs conduct health education training courses for more than 17,900 persons.
IRD, with funding from the U.S. State Department, is supporting reconciliation and conflict
mitigation efforts, helping build national unity, and strengthening the foundation of development
initiatives by improving the mental health of Iraqis across geographic and sectarian boundaries.
The $3 million Iraq Mental Health Initiative (IMHI) will work with trauma and other conflict-
affected victims, including female self-immolation victims, drug users, children and internally
displaced people in six of Iraq’s Governorates— Baghdad, Basra, Dohuk, Erbil, Ninewa, and
Suleymaniya.

IRD has been awarded multiple programs from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and
Migration at the U.S. Department of State to increase access to health care and livelihoods for
the most marginalized individuals among the refugee population in Amman. The Strategic
Health Support Programs serve predominately women-headed households in poor
neighborhoods of Amman to cover basic health, mother and child, and post-traumatic stress
disorder care. The Community Based Support Program (CBSP) is providing social inclusion,
income generation, and vocational training opportunities for the most vulnerable of Iraqi
families in Amman, Irbid and Zarqa.
29
US Contact Regional Contact

Samantha Feinstein Amanya Michael Ebye
Program Assistant, Middle East Regional Director
122 East 42nd Street Tel: + 962 6 5937308/9
New York, NY 10168-1289 Fax: + 963 6 585 0884
Tel: 212-551-3516 E-mail: Amanya.MichaelEbye@theIRC.org
Fax: 212-551-3185
Email: Samantha.Feinstein@theIRC.org HQ Media Contact:
Website: www.theIRC.org Melissa Winkler
Communications Director
Tel: 212-551-0972, 646-734-0305
E-mail: Melissa.Winkler@theIRC.org
Introduction to International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a leading private nonsectarian nonprofit
organization providing relief, protection and resettlement services for refugees and victims of
oppression or violent conflict for 75 years. IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity and
self-reliance. This commitment is reflected in well planned global emergency relief,
rehabilitation services, resettlement assistance and advocacy for refugees.
International Rescue Committee in the Region

IRC returned to the Middle East in 2007 in response to the needs of Iraqis displaced by violent
conflict. In Iraq, Jordan and Syria, IRC works with local governments and NGOs to help ensure
that the rights and fundamental needs of refugees and others affected by the conflict are met.
IRC programs in the Middle East are implemented through emergency relief, education and
child protection, violence against women, health and environmental health, protection and
promotion of rights programs.
Emergency Relief
In Jordan, IRC supported CARE to provide cash assistance and material support to Iraqi
refugees in 2008. IRC is now working in partnership with Jordan Red Crescent (JRC) to deliver
monthly and emergency cash assistance to extremely vulnerable Iraqi refugees in Zarqa, Irbid
and Madaba. In 2008, IRC also worked in cooperation with local partners to provide winter
assistance to families in Jordan and Iraq in 2008.
Education and Child Protection

In Jordan, IRC supported Questscope to carry out informal education services for Iraqi refugee
and host community children and youth in 2008, and currently supports the informal education
activities of the Jordan River Foundation. 1,200 children and youth have benefited from these
programs in East Amman, Irbid and Zarqa.
30
In Iraq, IRC’s education programs have thus far reached 4,000 students in Erbil, Suleimaniyah,
Najaf and Tarmiyah through classroom reconstruction, child-friendly spaces, and Parent Teacher
Association capacity building. IRC is now preparing to expand activities in 12 schools in
Baghdad and the contested areas, to additionally include developing informal education
programs, promoting healing classrooms approach, carrying out accelerated learning programs
for out of school youth, and implementing information technology training programs for youth.
IRC's education programs in Syria provide academic support for 1,300 children struggling to
stay in school and perform at grade level as well as those who have been excluded from school
and need a transitional program to return. 10,000 primary school students will benefit indirectly
from improved and increased learning spaces in 10 schools hosting Iraqi refugee children in
Damascus.
IRC has trained 51 teachers working directly with student beneficiaries to better address the
students’ needs. IRC has also seconded a staff member to the UNHCR to support the Syrian
Ministry of Education and to design remedial education and psychosocial programs for Iraqi
refugees. Approximately 15 Ministry of Education staff providing administrative, technical, and
supervisory support have been trained through IRC’s program in Syria. Thousands of students
will benefit from improved and increased learning spaces through the construction of extra
classrooms in 10 schools currently hosting Iraqi refugee children. The IRC’s Education program
addresses a critical gap in assistance in Syria, where few international agencies are operational.
Violence Against Women

In Syria, IRC addresses the psychosocial and protection needs of Iraqi women and girl survivors
and those at-risk of gender-based violence through seconding a Gender-Based Violence Advisor
to UNHCR. Through her work, 100 UNHCR, partner staff and case workers are being trained to
help them identify GBV cases and refer cases to appropriate services. IRC Syria is also about to
initiate a livelihoods program that will target 2,000 vulnerable refugees in Syria with a focus on
young girls and women.
In Jordan, IRC, in partnership with the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) and the Jordan Public
Security Directorate’s Family Protection Department (FPD), addresses the problems of violence
against women and improves the wellbeing of women though awareness raising, training and
project coordination. Through a capacity building program, 20 NGOs, government agencies and
CBOs, and at least 80 police and social workers are being trained by JRF and FPD on best
practices to improve the quality of VAW-related services as well as the new law against
domestic violence. IRC also works to establish sustainable community-based case services to
assist women and girl survivors of VAW in East Amman to access crucial psychosocial, legal,
medical, or other services.
In Northern Iraq, IRC is helping women survivors and those at risk of gender-based violence by
1) improving the capacity of local service providers (NGO and Governmental) to respond to
survivors’ psychosocial, legal, safety/security, and medical needs through training, mentorship,
linkages, and NGO service sub-grants; 2) improving local capacity to design strategic VAW
prevention programs, utilizing the same methodologies; and 3) improving coordination amongst
31
stakeholders through facilitating a working group, providing technical support and advocacy. To
ensure greatest impact, the project focuses on assessment, outreach and services at the grassroots
level, as well as at wider district and governorate levels. The project’s capacity building,
coordination, and advocacy also focus on improving planning and service delivery, and
influencing behavior and decision making, at both grassroots and policy levels.
Health and Environmental Health

In Iraq, IRC’s water and sanitation program has thus far improved the health and hygiene of
13,000 IDPs in Ninewa and Suleimaniyah governorates in Iraq through rehabilitation of water
systems, construction of sanitation facilities, and hygiene promotion activities. IRC also
recently refurbished and expanded a regional blood bank in Wassit province to help meet the
demand for donated blood for urgent medical procedures.
IRC also supports Terre Des Hommes to provide support to Iraqis in Jordan and Syria with
physical and mental handicaps, and is also preparing to distribute needed equipment and
materials for disabled Iraqis in Baghdad.
Protection and Promotion of rights

In Iraq, IRC’s protection programs benefit refugees, IDPs, returnees, and stateless people in
cooperation with UNHCR. These vulnerable populations receive assistance through Protection
Assistance Centers (PACs) that are run by IRC in Baghdad, Anbar, and Babylon governorates.
The PACs provide useful information and services about their rights and entitlements as well as
services available in the area. The centers provide legal information and referrals to other service
providers to those in need of assistance that is not provided by the PAC. In Northern Iraq, IRC
has a small project in the Makhmur Camp, where ethnic Kurds from Turkey reside, to assist with
refugee access to services inside and outside the camp and to provide them with useful
information on exist clearance procedures, safety tips for women and girls traveling and working
outside of the camp, and basic refugee rights. IRC will also organize some healthy social
activities for women and children to help improve their psychological health.

IRC resettles Iraqis in each of its 22 resettlement sites with core funding from the Department of
State and Department of Health and Human Services. In FY08 the number of Iraqis resettled by
IRC for the first time eclipsed the number of any other individual resettlement population. IRC
resettled over 2,000 Iraqis in FY08 and in FY09 expects to resettle nearly 3,000. Upon arrival in
the U.S., Iraqis are provided intensive case management services and a core services support
package which includes: safe, affordable and high quality housing; food, clothing and
transportation assistance; appropriate referral to medical consultations, community services and
public assistance; support with family educational needs; and comprehensive employment
services that ensure Iraqis achieve early self-sufficiency. In addition, each IRC office
administers a diverse programming portfolio to complement the provision of core services
afforded arriving Iraqis.
32
Advocacy and communication
IRC programs in the Middle East use field and programming experiences to advocate for
refugees and communities affected by violent conflict. Through the IRC networks in the US and
Europe, IRC has contributed to raising the profile of displaced Iraqis. In March 2008, IRC issued
a widely-cited report: “Five Years Later, A Hidden Crisis,” which exposes the dire situation of
Iraqi refugees and advocates for increased assistance. Presentations on Capitol Hill and a media
campaign have also garnered the attention of lawmakers and the general public to the urgent
needs. IRC working with other advocacy networks and coalitions in the Middle East continues to
advocate on behalf of refugees, IDPs and conflict affected persons.
Iraqi refugee girls in Jordan take part in computer education supported by IRC
Photo Courtesy of IRC
33
Life for Relief and Development (LIFE)

Dr. Mujahid Al-Fayadh, CEO Iraq
17300 W. 10 Mile Road Dr. Adil Al-Nuaimi
Southfield, MI 48075 Hay Jaamia Al-Rabee Street
Phone: 001 248-424-7493 Town (Mahallah) 635
Email: malfayadh@lifeusa.org Road (Zuqaq) 37, House (Dar) 15
Baghdad, Iraq
Phone: (964) 1 7788292
Email: aalnuaimi@lifeusa.org
Syria
Mr. Mohammad Anwar Qasim
Al-Jeser Al-Abyad Zouhir bin Abi Sulma Street
Building no. 11/70, 2nd floor
PO box 4272
Damascus, Syria
Phone: (963) 11 3348595
Email: aqasim@lifeusa.org
Jordan
Mr. Walid Qanah
Jabel El Hussain – Jamal Aldin Alafghani St. –
Kareem Center 2nd floor #3
PO Box 923458
Amman, Jordan
Phone: (962) 6 4645468
Email: wqanah@lifeusa.org
Introduction to LIFE
Life for Relief and Development (LIFE) is a nonprofit organization deeply rooted in the belief
that saving lives should be a priority of all mankind. For this reason, we are dedicated to
alleviating human suffering regardless of race, color, religion, or cultural background. LIFE
works to provide assistance to people across the globe by offering humanitarian services such as
health care and education, as well as catering to casualties of social and economic turmoil,
victims of hunger, natural disasters, war, and other catastrophes.
LIFE in the Region

LIFE’s objectives in the Region are:
 To provide food to those who are suffering from hunger
 To provide training to those suffering from the social and economic turmoil in their
region
34
 To provide emergency assistance to victims of war and natural disasters
 To develop and maintain a basic healthcare structure of clinics by providing low cost
healthcare throughout the region
 To support the work of the Red Crescent Societies in the region through provision of
medical assistance to their health facilities and to assist them in their emergency
operations during times of disaster or war in the region
 To enhance learning through the distribution of higher education books and materials to
colleges and universities in the region
 To improve the learning capabilities of primary and secondary school students through
construction of schools and provision of textbooks and educational materials to students
in the region.
 To supply clean drinking water to areas in emergent need through water tankering
 To rehabilitate water treatment plants, analyze water purity and conduct training for
water treatment plant operators to ensure that the population receives the best quality
drinking water to their homes
 To educate the population in good health and hygiene practices and distribute hygiene
kits when available to IDPs and refugees
 To improve sewage and sanitation pump stations to prevent sewage back-up into
residential homes and neighborhoods
 To listen to the needs of women and to improve their lives to the best of our ability when
working on community development/neighborhood improvement projects
Photo Courtesy of LIFE

Orphans “Back to School” distribution
35
Life for Relief & Development’s Activities in Iraq from 2006 to 2009
Health Sector
LIFE for Relief and Development distributed 670 tons of medicines and medical supplies to
hospitals and medical centers throughout Iraq. We opened a medical clinic in Baghdad and
sponsored the treatment of 2 Iraqi children in Jordan. We also sponsored and organized a
circumcision day for over 400 baby boys in Baghdad, Diyala and Najad and we donated a
generator to the Al-Ard clinic in Baghdad.
Education Sector
LIFE distributed scientific and medical books to 13 universities throughout all of Iraq. We
distributed 15,500 school bags to elementary school students in Baghdad, Basrah, Diyala and
Kirkuk. We established 9 elementary school libraries in Baghdad, Wasit, Diyala, Mosul, Kirkuk
and Anbar in partnership with Spirit of America. We distributed 150 whiteboards to
kindergartens and elementary schools throughout all of Iraq and we donated 200 scientific
calculators to 24 educational and health institutions throughout all of Iraq.
Social Programs
LIFE distributed 16,100 items of clothing to the poor in Baghdad, Anbar, Mosul, Missan, Basrah
and Diyala. We also distributed shoes to the poor in Mosul, Sulimaniya, Kirkuk and Salahuddin.
We distributed fabrics to sewing centers in Baghdad, Hilla and Anbar and we distributed toys to
poor children in Baghdad, Mosul, Diyala, Hilla and Basrah.
Orphan Program
LIFE sponsors 500 orphans by providing them with food, clothing, medical care and other items
in Baghdad, Mosul and Diyala. LIFE conducts 5 festivals for over 3000 orphans twice yearly in
Najaf, Anbar, Diyala, Baghdad, Mosul and Basrah. LIFE sponsored and equipped the library
and kitchen at the Wardat Al-Hayat Kindergarten in Baghdad. Some of LIFE’s sponsored
orphans attended the Ashinga International Summer Camp in Japan.
Handicapped
LIFE supported the Iraqi Handicapped Society for 2 years paying the rent for the building and
furnishings. We gave crutches and clothing to 700 handicapped Iraqi’s on World Handicapped
Day. Our staff distributed 280 wheelchairs to disabled people in 14 governorates.
Women’s Program
LIFE constructed and supported 10 sewing training centers in Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf and
Salahuddin. We organized a capacity building training workshop for Iraqi teen girls in Baghdad.
Nutrition Sector
LIFE distributed 3945 tons of food baskets, 58 tons of baby food and 65 tons of meat to Iraqi
families throughout all of Iraq.
Water/Sanitation
LIFE rehabilitated the Halabsa water treatment facility in Anbar and the Hamdan Jisr water
treatment facility in the Abul Khaseeb valley in Basrah. We also distributed 400 water purifiers
36
to Baghdad, Anbar, Najaf, Thi-Qar, Diyala and Basrah. We distributed 200 cases of water
purification tablets to residents throughout all of Iraq and we delivered 180,000 liters of water by
water tanker to over 9,000 families for one month in Al-Mikdadiya Diyala.
Emergency Relief/IDPs
LIFE distributed emergency food, blankets and hygiene kits to IDPs in Mosul and Diyala. We
distributed blankets, food, oil heaters, oil lamps and cleaning supplies to IDPs in Fallujah, Najaf,
Salahuddin, Mosul, Diyala and Hilla. We also distributed clothing to IDPs in Baghdad and
shoes to IDPs in Mosul, Sulimaniya, Kirkuk and Salahuddin. IDPs in Al’Madin, Baghdad
received gas space heaters and motorized fans. IDPs in Al Jamia and Al Adl, Baghdad received
a one month supply of food in partnership with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society. LIFE provided
food baskets to 250 IDP families in Najaf and Baghdad. We distributed food, hygiene kits and
other items to 150 IDP families in Sadr City, Baghdad and emergency food to 200 IDP families
in Mosul. We also provided medicine and medical supplies to the Ali Ibn Talib Hospital in Sadr
City Baghdad to treat IDP medical cases.
Syria
LIFE Syria distributed food to 1050 refugee families and meat to 1290 refugee families living in
Damascus. We distributed medicine to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent hospitals and clinics
providing medicine to over 5000 patients. We gifted the Syrian Arab Red Crescent a mobile
clinic that has been used to treat over 10,000 Iraqi refugee patients. We distributed new clothing
to 1000 refugees in Damascus and we paid for the medical treatment of an ill Iraqi refugee boy.
We are also constructing a cancer research center in Hama that care for Iraqi refugee cancer
patients.
Cooperative efforts with local, international, or governmental agencies:

 UNICEF
 UNDP
 UNOCHA
 UN Habitat
 AmeriCares Foundation
 Brother’s Brother Foundation
 American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA)
 Mercy Corps
 International Aid
 American Friends Services Committee
 The Wheelchair Foundation
 Veteran’s for Peace
 Children of Abraham
 The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints
 Islamic Development Bank – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
 Qatar Charity – Doha, Qatar
 Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian & Charity Establishment – Dubai,
UAE
37
 Sharjah Charity House – Sharjah, UAE
 United Arab Emirates Red Crescent – Abu Dhabi, UAE
 Al Rahma Charity – Dubai, UAE
Special concerns:
LIFE for Relief and Development staff throughout Iraq, in Jordan and Syria always meet with
local and national authorities to discuss LIFE’s plans for project implementation and in-kind
distributions to local residents and local institutions.
Security is definitely an issue for LIFE staff throughout Iraq and we work at all times on high
security alert with our security system ready for activation on a moment’s notice.
Photo Courtesy of LIFE Photo Courtesy of LIFE

Emergency distribution Salaman Pak LIFE Diyala Clinic
Photo Courtesy of LIFE Photo Courtesy of LIFE

Missan Water treatment plant rehabilitation Iraqi IDP distribution
38
Mercy Corps

Jill Hicks David Holdridge
Program Officer, Middle East, DC Regional Program Director
1730 Rhode Island Ave, NW Baghdad, Iraq
Suite 809 Phone: +962 796 111 689
Washington, DC 20036 Email: dholdridge@field.mercycorps.org
jhicks@dc.mercycorps.org
Introduction to Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build
secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic
poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible
odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.5 billion in assistance to people in 106 nations.
Supported by headquarters offices in North America and Europe, the agency's unified global
programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach nearly 16.4 million people in more than 35
countries.
Mercy Corps in the Region

Community Action Programs
Since 2003 Mercy Corps has provided development assistance in South Central Iraq through the
USAID-funded Community Action Program (CAP). Mercy Corps has invested heavily in the
fostering of a vibrant civil society and increasing citizen-government interaction including
creating approximately 370 community action groups (CAGs) throughout Iraq's Shia heartland.
Once established, these groups are given the capacity to direct investments in social
infrastructure improvements which they have identified and prioritized, such as rehabilitating
schools, constructing clinics and improving community marketplaces. Through CAP, Mercy
Corps goes beyond bricks and mortar by including development initiatives that enhance
infrastructure work with transformative community based activities.
These initiatives include but are not limited to the following:

 Empowering persons with disabilities to advocate for their own rights;
 Increasing access to information and communication technology (ICT) for persons at all
levels of society;
 Promoting women to be full partners in development, which includes a women's
education program that provides basic education and rights awareness classes;
 Promoting creativity and community engagement among youth through activities such as
theatre productions, art lessons, awareness campaigns and sports;
39
Under CAP III Mercy Corps continues to focus on creating an informed and engaged Iraqi
citizenry, and under this new phase of the program we are also working more explicitly to build
the capacity of local government to meet the articulated needs of their communities. By
bringing together CAGs and local council officials, Mercy Corps is helping local government in
Southern Iraq to implement their own development plans and ensure community input into
future plans and budget requests.
The program also provides expert training to local district and sub-district councils, on
community outreach, project management and oversight, budget preparation, advocacy and the
implications of the Provincial Powers Act.
Emergency Response Programs

The bombing of the Al Askari Shrine in Samarra in February 2006 caused massive
displacement, both within and outside of Iraq. In response, Mercy Corps increased its
emergency humanitarian operations, particularly in parts of Northern Iraq and the Tigris River
Valley, which have received large numbers of displaced families.
Working in local communities with funding from the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
and UNICEF, Mercy Corps aims to ease the suffering of the displaced and provide assistance to
overstretched host communities by increasing the outreach of health services, helping to ensure a
safe supply of water and appropriate sanitation, providing essential non-food items as well as
helping youth and families to deal with the stress that conflict and displacement can place on
them.
In highly volatile and insecure areas, Mercy Corps operates through a system of focal points who
liaise with local government officials, NGOs and community leaders in their own communities
to implement assistance projects. Through this system, Mercy Corps is able to deliver aid, even
in the most turbulent times.
In addition, Mercy Corps is partnering with the World Food Program, the Iraqi Ministry of
Migration and Displacement and local Iraqi organizations to provide supplemental food
assistance to internally displaced Iraqis. Through this targeted program, Mercy Corps is
providing oil, wheat and pulses to over 230,000 Iraqis in six Iraqi governorates. The program
aims to alleviate the suffering and financial hardship of displaced families who have lost access
to the Public Distribution System (PDS) after leaving their home governorates.
Refugees, Displaced and Vulnerable Populations

Since 2007, the Department of State, through the Office of Population, Refugees and Migration
(PRM) has funded Mercy Corps projects in Jordan targeting refugees from Iraq with educational
and integration programming. Mercy Corps is also a UNHCR implementing partner in Jordan
which funds programs that include group counseling sessions with Iraqi refugees, recreational
activities for youth and also focuses on empowering Iraqis with disabilities and their families,
preparing Independent Living Plans, providing equipment, such as wheel chairs, when
necessary, facilitating peer groups, enrollment at special education centers and provision of
rehabilitation services. Projects similar to our work funded by PRM were also begun in Syria in
40
March of 2008 that are addressing the educational and vocational skill training needs among the
Iraqi refugee populations in the country.
Peace-Building and Conflict Management

Mercy Corps is committed to encouraging the peaceful resolution of conflict and building
tolerance among all ethnic and sectarian groups in Iraq. With funding from the Department of
State's Iraqi Women's Democracy Initiative, Mercy Corps is working across ethnic and sectarian
divides in areas contested between Kurds and Arabs and other ethnic groups to build the
capacity of female leaders and women's organizations to act as peace builders in an area fraught
with tensions over the future.
Under past CAP activities, Mercy Corps has provided negotiations training, conducted by
international experts, for over 95 Iraqi leaders from South Iraq. This training enabled them to
become expert mediation and negotiation trainers themselves. Participants of this training have
gone on to train more than 750 additional Iraqis in conflict management skills. In addition, they
have used their skills to successfully negotiate peaceful settlements to conflicts that have
benefited more than 72,000 Iraqis including land disputes, more effective provision of services
by the government and a peaceful surrender of Mehdi Militia members to the Iraqi Army.
Currently, Mercy Corps is implementing a State Department funded program that will build on
the initial negotiation skill training activities. This program targets local community leaders
across Iraq, increasing local community capacity to address their needs in situations of
competing objectives. The project intends to enhance the community’s ability to minimize the
negative impacts of these disputes, and rather build upon them toward positive ends.
Mercy Corps’ Global Youth Connectivity (GYC) program educates and engages young people
across the world through the use of ICT training and the use of the internet as a forum through
which youth can express themselves, educate others, and promote peaceful dialogues. The
program focuses on virtual exchanges between American and Arab youth, encouraging both to
use the forum as a way to foster their critical thinking skills, empower each other to become
agents of peaceful change, and assist youth in their goals of building secure and peaceful
communities around the world.

Mercy Corps has offices and programs in the following governorates of Iraq: Dahuk, Basrah,
Baghdad, Muthanna, Dhi-Qar, Maysan, Qadissiyah, Erbil, Suleimaniyah, Salah ad Din, Wassit
and Tameem. Mercy Corps maintains an office in Amman, Jordan, to support its Iraq activities
and Iraq related programming in Jordan and Syria targeting refugees.
Funding Sources:
(1) USAID
 Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
(2) USDS
 Department of Human Rights and Labor
 Office of Population, Refugees and Migration
41
 Targeted Development Programs
(3) UN
 Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees
 International Children’s Fund
(4) WFP
Scale of Programs:
CAP- To date Mercy Corps has invested nearly $110 million in Iraqi communities which,
together with over $12 million in community contributions, has been used to complete over
1,500 projects and transformative development activities and create nearly 24,000 short-term
jobs through the Community Action Program.
Peace Building and Conflict Management – Mercy Corps is currently implementing $3.3 million
in conflict management and peace building programming in Iraq under DRL funding, targeting
community leaders in governorates across the nation.
Emergency Response- Mercy Corps has programmed over $55 million in activities and assisted
over two million people through their emergency response actions.
Cooperative Efforts:
Mercy Corps partners with a variety of international and national organizations throughout Iraq
including: CHF International, ACDI/VOCA, International Medical Corps (IMC), and Save the
Children. Mercy Corps makes every effort to utilize national organizations within Iraq to carry
out programming efforts. Our Iraqi partners stretch from the north to the south of the country
and allow Mercy Corps to conduct programming and activities at a level that would not be
possible without their assistance and support.
42
US Contact
Elizabeth Walker
Vice President of Programs
1100 H Street, NW Suite 610
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 639-8660
Introduction to Relief International

Relief International (RI)
RI) is a humanitarian non non-profit
profit agency that provides emergency relief,
rehabilitation, development assistance, and program services to vulnerable communities
worldwide. RI is solely dedicated to reducing human suffering and is non-political
non and non-
sectarian
rian in its mission. RI's mission is to:
 Serve the needs of the most vulnerable - particularly women and children, victims of natural
disasters and civil conflicts, and the poor - with a specific focus on neglected groups and cases.
 Provide holistic, multi-sectoral,
sectoral, sustainable, and pro
pro-poor
poor programs that bridge emergency
relief and long-term
term development at the grassroots level.
 Empower communities by building capacity and by maximizing local resources in both
program design and implementation.
 Promote self-reliance,
reliance, peaceful coexistence, and reintegration of marginalized communities.
 Protect lives from physical injury or death and/or psychological trauma where present.
 Uphold the highest professional norms in program delivery, including accountability accountabilit to
beneficiaries and donors alike.
Relief International in the Region

Relief International began operations in southern Iraq in April 2003 and within one year had
built and repaired key infrastructure in the educational, agricultural, municipal and water-supply
wat
sectors - areas that had been damaged during the war and from years of neglect. Since then, RI’s
work in Iraq has expanded to include emergency assistance, microfinance, conflict mitigation,
legal aid, capacity-building
building programs, and other commu
community
nity development activities.
Photo Courtesy of Relief International Photo Courtesy of Relief International

43
Sectors of Work in Iraq
Relief International has and continues to work in a number of sectors in Iraq including:
 Agriculture
 Business Development, Cooperatives and Microcredit
 Civil Society / Labor Union Development
 Emergency Relief
 Health and Nutrition
 Human Rights / Peace and Conflict Resolution
 Infrastructure
 Rural Development
 Water and Sanitation
 Legal Aid Center Support and Legal Service Provision
Scale of Programs
Relief International’s current portfolio in Iraq is $33.5 million. Programs include:
Legal Assistance
RI’s Justice and Protection Center program aims to advance the rule of law and the protection of
human and civil rights throughout Iraq by fortifying them at the local level. In addition to
providing information to the public at large through awareness-raising campaigns, the program
provides free legal consultation and representation to Iraqis – over 750 to date – whose rights
have been violated. In an effort to build the capacity of local civil society, the centers also
provide small grant opportunities to local NGOs with similar or complementary missions.
Currently, RI operates Justice & Protection Centers in seven governorates.
Labor Union Support

RI’s Union Empowerment program seeks to support the renewal and growth of Iraq’s
independent labor movement which was nearly eradicated during the era of Sadaam Hussein.
Through training and technical assistance, RI is working to build the capacity of trade unions
and professional associations so that they may develop into strong non-governmental actors,
enabling them to support a democratic, free, and safe political environment. To date, RI has
trained over 100 senior-level union leaders in areas such as leadership, membership development
and improved constituent communications. In cooperation with Iraq’s major labor federations,
RI is providing informational workshops to tens of thousands of Iraqis to educate them about the
purpose of unions and the basics of union membership. RI also provides small grant
opportunities to unions and professional associations and has established a Union Resource
Center in Baghdad to promote the study of labor relations.
Conflict Mitigation
The USAID-funded Iraq Community-Based Conflict Mitigation (ICCM) program has conducted
community conflict assessments in 62 Iraqi communities and followed up those assessments
with 200 community projects aimed at reducing tensions or mitigating existing conflict. In
addition, RI has assisted in the creation of a formalized network of academic, media and civil
society professionals registered as the Iraq Peace Foundation. A third component of the ICCM
44
program integrates youth into the peace and conflict mitigation process through training and
small grants. The program has resulted in tangible cases of groups that were formerly in conflict
with each other resolving their differences as well as the reduction of tensions in Iraqi
communities.
Microfinance Lending
The goal of RI’s microfinance program in Iraq is to address the demand and need for broader
access to credit by increasing the working poor’s access to financial services. By providing low-
interest commercial and home improvement loans, RI is promoting micro and small business
development in Iraq and helping Iraqis improve their living conditions. With the assistance of
the USAID-funded Izdihar and Tijara initiatives, Relief International has disbursed more than
$13 million to nearly 10,000 borrowers since the program’s inception in 2006. In addition, RI
has facilitated the creation of a sustainable local microfinance lending institution which has
disbursed $1 million in loans in less than one year of operation.
Relief and Reconstruction

Since 2005, Relief International has been partnering with the United Nations in Iraq to address
the emergency health, nutrition, sanitation, educational, and protection needs of displaced Iraqis
and other vulnerable populations. RI has provided assistance to tens of thousands of families
living in Iraq’s central and southern governorates through “Quick Impact Projects” which have
included the rehabilitation of shelters and schools, the repair and extension of water and
sanitation systems, mobile health clinics, and other urgently needed interventions. RI has also
distributed over 10,000 kits containing basic living materials such as blankets, water storage
containers, and hygiene supplies. Additional activities include livelihoods trainings, awareness
campaigns and assessments conducted on behalf of the UN.
Funding Sources:
Relief International has previously received or currently receives funding in Iraq from the US
State Department Bureaus of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM); Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor (DRL); and Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA); the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID); the United Nations (UNICEF, UNHCR, and
UNOCHA); and the Louis Berger Group.
Location of Offices:
Relief International has representation in each of Iraq’s eighteen governorates. Relief International
operates Justice and Protection Centers in Erbil, Kirkuk, Anbar, Baghdad, Babil, Wassit and
Missan. Microfinance lending is conducted through offices in Sulaymaniyah, Missan, Wassit,
Karbala, Basra and Babil. Reconstruction and relief work in central and southern Iraq is currently
done through offices in Missan, Wassit, and Karbala.
45
Photo Courtesy of Relief International
Photo Courtesy of Relief Internat

International
46
Save the Children, USA
US Contact Field Contacts

Nicole Licata Grant, Middle East and Eurasia Iraq
Associate Director for Operations Jonathan Cunliffe, Country Director
Save the Children, USA Mob Iraq.: +964 771 016 9475
54 Wilton Road Tel Jordan.: +962 6 565 7411/2/3 ext 310
Westport, Connecticut 06880 USA Fax Jordan: +962 6 565 7414
Phone: 203-221-4111 Mob Jordan: +962 795 424 696
Email: ngrant@savechildren.org Email: jcunliffe@savechildren.org
www.savethechildren.org
Jordan
Displaced Iraqis Program:
Richard Mawer
Country Director
PO Box 9363
Amman 11191, Jordan
Tel.: +962 6 565 7411/2/3
Fax: +962 6 565 7414
Mob: +962 799 080 105
Email: rmawer@savechildren.org.jo
Introduction to Save the Children, USA

Save the Children is the leading, independent organization creating lasting change for children in
need in the United States and around the world. We are a member of the International Save the
Children Alliance, comprising 27 national Save the Children organizations working in more than
120 countries to ensure the well-being of children.
In order to continue to accomplish sustainable change, Save the Children has identified the
following four Priority Goals for children. Here are just some examples of ways that, with your
help, we have accomplished these goals in the communities we serve.
1. Children are protected from harm through physical and psychosocial assistance.
Save the Children provided emergency assistance to 3 million children and families in 26
countries in 2008.
2. Children learn and develop with age-appropriate care and education.

In the last year, we expanded the number of early childhood programs to more than 6,200 sites
in over 15 countries, including 60 in the U.S.
47
3. Children are healthy and well-nourished.
In 40 countries worldwide 9 million children under 5 die each year. Our community-based
model for health care delivery is helping to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children
who might otherwise die from treatable or preventable causes.
4. Children thrive in food-secure and economically viable households.

To help adolescents transition from school to the workforce, we have initiated training programs
in 10 countries, and made loans for youth-led businesses.
By tailoring our programs to achieve one or more of these goals we have evolved into an
effective international relief and development organization, providing communities with a hand
up, not a handout.
Photo Courtesy of Save the Children
Save the Children in the Region

Funding sources:
Iraq: (not specified)
Jordan: UNICEF, UNHCR, World Bank, Japan Platform (JPF)/Save the Children Japan, BPRM
Scale of programs:
Iraq: US$800,000, - 10,000 beneficiaries
Bniyat Program is a Child Protection Program to ensure improved opportunities for Iraqi
Children aged 6-14 for healthy cognitive, physical and psychosocial development. Save the
Children has started the program in January 2009 aiding Iraqi children and their families, and
teachers in public schools with the skills and services that provide children with improved
resiliency, improved opportunities for recreation and improved psychosocial support in schools,
communities and in domestic environment. The program has targeted approximately 10,000
48
Iraqi children aged 6-14 delivering its activities through 15 public schools, partnering with 6
local NGOs and Departments of Ministry of Education in Iraq. These include: capacity building
of school teachers on psychosocial caring and child safe space to provide protective environment
for children and build a multi-faceted community led child protection support and network.
Jordan: US $3,000,000 – approximately 8,000 Iraqis/refugees (15,673 total Iraqi and Jordanian
as part of the program is actually system strengthening so it includes Iraqi and Jordanian
children)
The goal of Jordan’s overall Ta’leem program is that vulnerable Iraqi children, adolescents and
youth--along with their host country counterparts living in Jordan--are protected and have access
to quality education that is relevant to their present, as well as future, circumstances. The
program focuses on three main age groups: early childhood age (ages 3-6), basic/primary
education (ages 6-14) and adolescents/youth (ages 14-24). In each of the three age groups, the
focus is on access to quality formal (and where appropriate non-formal) educational
opportunities, and improved teaching, learning, protection and participation outcomes in schools
and non-formal learning environments for Iraqi children, adolescents and youth, by providing
training teachers, caregivers on Safe Spaces approaches.
Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies

In Iraq, Save the Children cooperates with other international NGOs and relevant UN agencies
where appropriate.
In Jordan, Save the Children cooperates with the Government of Jordan and relevant Ministries,
as well as other local and international NGOs and relevant UN agencies where appropriate.
Special concerns in Iraq:

 Security remains a major concern and challenge to addressing effectively the needs of the
most vulnerable children in Iraq.
 Complex new Draft NGO laws will severely hamper the independence and operational
ability of INGOs in Iraq.
49
50
Women for Women International

Karen Sherman Nashat Abdullah
4455 Connecticut Avenue, NW Phone: 011.964.7901.669.950;
Suite 200 011.964.7801.267.051
Washington, DC 20008 Email: nashatabdullah@yahoo.com
Introduction to Women for Women International

Women for Women International (WfWI) provides women survivors of war, civil strife and
other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-
sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. The organization mobilizes women to
change their lives through a holistic approach that addresses the unique needs of women in
conflict and post-conflict environments. It has developed special programming and
infrastructure that teaches women survivors of war the skills to become economically self-
sufficient and active in their communities. Classes address political activism, social
empowerment, economic self-sufficiency and psychological and physical health.
WfWI believes that women can create lasting change within their own communities when they
can sustain an income; become decision-makers in their homes, communities and countries; are
physically and psychologically well; and when they have built or rebuilt social networks and
safety nets. The organization has been actively assisting women in doing so for the last 16
years, in counties ranging from Nigeria to Afghanistan. WfWI began operations in Iraq in 2004.
Over 4,000 women have been served since program inception.
Women for Women International in the Region

Women for Women International’s goals in the region include promoting active citizenship and
creating income generation opportunities and social inclusion. This is accomplished through:
Sponsorship, Rights Awareness and Life Skills Training, a Men’s Leadership Training Program,
and Vocational, Technical Skills, and Business Development Training.
Programmatic Sectors
 Income Generation Opportunities: Vocational training in various fields to facilitate
employment and self-employment
 Business Skill Development: upon graduation, participants are provided with a training
kit that allows them the ability to create a small business in their selected training field
 Education: Rights Awareness, Health, Men’s Leadership Program
 Women’s Development: Rights Awareness and Life Skills Training
 Human Rights: Rights Awareness and Men’s Leadership Training
51
 Baghdad
Funding Sources
 Jolie-Pitt Foundation
 Spindrift
Scale of Programs
 Over 4,000 women served in 5 years of operation
 16 staff members
 2009 Annual Budget - $508,583
Cooperative Efforts
 Currently, there are no cooperative efforts or partnerships
Special Concerns
Security for in-country staff, program participants, is of continued concern despite relative
stability. Program operations and travel will be suspended if security of staff and participants
reaches a critical point.
52

Member Activity Report IRAQ July 2009

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InterAction Member Activity Report

Iraq and its Neighbors

Photo Courtesy of Relief International

And with the support of a cooperative agreement with USAID/OFDA

1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20036

Maps of Iraq and the Middle East............................................................................................2

Maps of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.........................................................................................3

Organizations by Sector Activity…………………………………………….……….…..….9

Member Activity Reports:

Air Serv International……………………………..…………………………………...……12

Catholic Relief Services……...…………………………………………….……...………..13

International Catholic Migration Commission……………………………………..……….20

International Medical Corps……………………………………………………...……........23

International Relief and Development………………………………………….......…........27

International Rescue Committee…………………………………………………..…..........30

LIFE for Relief and Development………………………..………………………........……34

Save the Children………………………………………………………………..………….47

Women for Women International…………………………………………………………...51

The Middle East

Other Populations of Concern in the Region

International Response and Responsibility

Prospects and Challenges

Regardless of this improvement, the displacement crisis remains a massive impediment to

InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations,

Agriculture and Food Security Save the Children

US Contact Field Contact

Introduction to Air Serv International

Air Serv International in the Region

Sectors into which programs in the region fall:

US Contact Field Contact

Introduction to Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services in the Region

Business Development, Cooperatives and Credit

Disaster and Emergency Relief

Gender Issues/Women in Development

Refugee and Migration Services

Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

Location of Projects or Programs:

Cooperative efforts with other local, international, or governmental agencies:

Syria: As CRS is not registered we cannot attend UNHCR sector meetings.

Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

Iraqi refugees meet with CRS staff and social

Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

Iraqi refugee Bahiga Baba stands with other

Photo Courtesy of Catholic Relief Services

US Contact Field Contact:

Introduction to CHF International

CHF International in the Region

Access to Credit Services

Community Driven Development

Photo Courtesy of CHF International

Middle Market Lending

US Contact Field Contact:

ICMC in the Region

Locations of ICMC projects and programs

ICMC Project donors

Current ICMC Middle East Programs

Humanitarian Assistance for Vulnerable Iraqis in Jordan

Humanitarian Assistance for Vulnerable Iraqis in Syria, Sept. 2008-Sept. 2009

Humanitarian Assistance for Vulnerable Iraqis in Syria, July 2008-July 2009

Protection and Assistance for Victims of Trafficking in Lebanon

U.S. Contact Field Contacts

Introduction to International Medical Corps