One year of work, 4 local organisations involved, 30,906 displaced Iraqis in the governorates of Dohuk and Erbil assisted, including 3,000 children: these are the numbers of 'Safe', a humanitarian assistance programme that saw us engaged in 2015 thanks to the support of Caritas Switzerland, aimed particularly at the most disadvantaged families affected by the crisis in Iraq.
An emergency within an emergency that concerned them, which we tackled through two main activities: periodic distributions of food, hygiene and winter kits to face the cold season with dignity, as well as school kits and those medicines that are not provided free of charge by the national health care programme. And psycho-social support activities for children between the ages of 5 and 18.
"SAFE: Emergency Response Programme to assist Iraqi minorities at risk" saw us engaged together with some of our long-standing partners - Al Mesalla, the Yazidi Solidarity and Fraternity League, Yawm al Hurya and Gashboun - each with their own experience behind them and their own specialisation in the field of humanitarian intervention.
Before going into action with the distributions, we carried out field surveys with the partners to identify the needs of the families (108 in Erbil and 274 in Dohuk), to have them explain to us what was needed, and to find the most useful and effective intervention space for each situation.
From November 2014 to December 2015, thanks to this joint effort, we distributed food kits for 1,000 families, delivered 1,200 hygiene kits and 1,400 blankets, stoves and winter clothes. Over the course of a year, five rounds of humanitarian aid distributions reached more than 20,000 people.
At the same time, the psycho-social support and medical care component of the project was structured to provide support to families and especially children. Thanks to a mobile unit, social workers and psychologists reached the informal settlements, providing medical assistance to 10,650 people, including 3,000 children.
In Shekhan, a psycho-social support centre was set up, run by a psychologist, supported by 3 local operators, where numerous recreational activities for children, play therapy sessions and trauma support were organised. We distributed over 1,000 school kits to facilitate school access to the displaced communities.
