Help for internally displaced families at the Amiriyat Al Fallujah Camp

Almost five million people have now returned to their homeland after fleeing IS, and yet there are still 1.2 million people internally displaced. 180,000 of them are living in official displacement camps and over 100,000 in informal ones.

Iraq’s government is pressing for the return of these people to their homeland and has gradually closed down the camps in the central parts of the country. The Amiriyat Al Fallujah Camp was officially closed in November 2021 and declared an informal settlement. The number of people living there has fallen, however there are still approx. 2,000 people at the camp for whom a return is no longer possible – their homes have been destroyed, infrastructure has been damaged, they have no way of earning money, their legal status is unclear, or because the security situation back home remains dangerous.

These people left behind are particularly vulnerable families who are living in conditions of extreme poverty with absolutely no future prospects. The project supported by the Redel Foundation largely focuses on providing these people with psychosocial support: courses on how to deal with trauma and the experience of violence, along with various leisure activities, help to strengthen the psychological well-being of those at the camp. Basic training and educational activities teach necessary skills and provide the families affected with new perspectives for the future. Educational courses for women in the basics of reading, writing and mathematics, as well as educational support for schoolchildren through tutoring and the distribution of school materials, are helping families get a new start.

The Redel Foundation is supporting these efforts with €70,000.

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