Hunger, cash & selfie sticks!

Three incredible WV Iraq staff, Nadir, Haba & Omed kindly agreed to show us around several refugee camps. Due to Covid-19 the camps are quiet, but lockdowns haven't stopped us turning up to deliver support. In many cases, the support is the reason families can eat and survive.

In Iraq, thousands of Syrians live in refugee camps. As different as their realities are, you’d be surprised how alike we are. Like you and me, they desire safety, security and the opportunity to build a brighter future.

Haba explains how food is of critical concern for refugees and the cash assistance received is only spent on food.

In refugee camps across the world, families who were forced to make unimaginable decisions to flee often live in makeshift shelters for years. Dependent on aid and longing to go home, securing basic essentials is a constant concern, and as we learn below, food is always at the top of the list.

Though difficult, it's important to take a few minutes to actively listen and learn about refugees & their stories. Nadir recounts the day he watched buses cross into Iraq with hundreds of Syrian refugees arriving with nothing.

Cash assistance provides food but also promotes dignity through choice. Cash allows families to make choices about what they purchase and eat. That might not seem like a big deal, but when everything you've known has been taken from you, the smallest amount of agency goes a long way.

Omed shows us what WV staff must do to enter government refugee camps and how we practically run the programs. It's super interesting and also encouraging to see that we're not just distributing 'hand outs' but delivering support that helps refugee families survive and someday, build a future, hopefully, at home.