Iraq
Newsline
Child-friendly spaces bring hope to Iraqi refugee children in Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria, 10 February 2009 – With as many as 1.5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, it is a struggle to provide basic necessities for people who have left everything behind in their war-torn country. In this setting, the special needs of children can be overlooked.
Children of Iraq make an ‘Appeal’ to government leaders
BAGDHAD, Iraq, 12 December 2008 – The Iraq Children’s Appeal, crafted by and for young people, was launched in Baghdad recently, as part of a special project between UNICEF and the non-governmental organization Al-Amal to help promote a culture of children’s rights in Iraq
Young Iraqi filmmaker wins 'OneMinutesJr.' Award
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, 11 December 2008 – Mohammed Majid al-Ghazali, age 15, is an Iraqi currently living in Jordan. He just won the 2008 'OneMinutesJr.' award. His winning film, Accident, was produced during a UNICEF 'OneMinutesJr.' workshop in Amman, Jordan, where youth were asked to make films that reflected the rights from the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
UNICEF and Nokia partner to rebuild eight schools in Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 20 October 2008 – The Nokia mobile communications company and UNICEF have launched a unique public-private partnership for children in Iraq to rebuild eight primary schools affected by conflict, displacement and poverty.
Classrooms in Syria crowded with Iraqi children whose families have fled conflict
DAMASCUS, Syria, 25 September 2008 – It is the beginning of the new school year in Syria, but a majority of the students are not Syrian. They are Iraqis whose families have fled conflict. When the lives of children like these are turned upside down, going to school can provide the stability they need.
‘Beyond School Books’ – a podcast series on education in emergencies
NEW YORK, USA, 15 September 2008 – The ongoing conflict in Iraq continues to have a devastating impact on children and schools there. Insecurity and violence have forced teachers to flee, kept students at home and, in some cases, closed schools completely.
UNICEF Iraq helps the children of Sadr City regroup after intense violence
NEW YORK, USA, 20 June 2008 – Forty days of recent intense violence took a toll on close to 1 million children in Baghdad’s Sadr City, which is home to 2.5 million Iraqis. During April and May, the streets of the sprawling neighbourhood turned into a battlefield – trapping children in their homes without access to water, school or play areas.
In the wake of violence, working to repair the damage done to children’s schools and confidence
AMMAN, Jordan, 23 May 2008 – The Baghdad Girls Primary in Iraq’s Sadr City had only been occupied by students for a few months before violent clashes erupted between military forces and militia groups in the area.
Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict calls for action on child rights in Iraq
NEW YORK, USA, 2 May 2008 – The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has called for immediate action to improve the lives of Iraqi children.
Violence in Iraq disrupts lives and education
AMMAN, Jordan, 21 April 2008 – Over the last two weeks, families in Basra and Baghdad’s Sadr City have been plunged into one of the most violent episodes in Iraq’s recent history. As Iraq’s security forces mobilized against militia groups, widespread clashes and curfews kept families trapped indoors and led to shortages of water, food and medical supplies.
Landmine awareness protects Iraq's children against deadly reminders of war
AMMAN, Jordan, 4 April 2008 – Thanks to UNICEF-supported Mine Risk Education (MRE), 12-year old Lateef from Kirkuk knows danger can be buried underneath his feet.
UNICEF responds to critical needs with water tankers in Basra crisis
AMMAN, Jordan, 31 March 2008 – For children in an Iraqi city paralyzed by violence, the arrival of a UNICEF water tanker in their street was an unexpected miracle. Thirsty families queued for up to two hours to fill whatever containers they could. For some, it was the first fresh water they had seen in days.
Iraq’s water and sanitation crisis adds to dangers faced by children and families
BAGHDAD, Iraq, 19 March 2008 – Iraq has a large water and sanitation network, but it is in a critical state of disrepair. System failures are a daily fact of life.
UNICEF appeals for $37 million to save vulnerable Iraqi children
AMMAN, Jordan, 12 February 2008 – Iraq’s children saw little respite from violence and instability in 2007. But help may be on the way. A consolidated appeal for Iraq will be launched today to help humanitarian organizations respond to widespread suffering and deprivation.
Iraqi children share their experience in film about friends separated by conflict
NEW YORK, USA, 3 January 2008 – Even amidst the security challenges facing children in Iraq every day, a group of young people there have found a way to create a poignant short film about life in Baghdad.
Iraqi children celebrate their return to school
AMMAN, Jordan, 9 October 2007— The first day back at school for students at Baghdad’s Al-Amal Primary School is a reason to celebrate. Children squeal with excitement as they see old friends. The playground, so bare and empty over the summer holidays, has filled with colour and sound.
National polio drive delivers drops of hope amid insecurity in Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 28 September 2007 – As Iraq’s first National Immunization Days of 2007 get under way, over 20,000 mobile polio vaccinators are uniting in a titanic effort to reach as many as 5 million Iraqi children under the age of five.
Holding back cholera in Iraq to protect thousands at risk
AMMAN, Jordan, 25 September 2007 – It was the news that many had been dreading all summer. On 14 August, a man suffering from acute watery diarrhoea in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk was confirmed to have cholera. Despite emergency control measures, the disease spread like wildfire and has quickly become Iraq’s biggest outbreak in recent memory.
Afrah’s story: Recovering a childhood lost on the streets of Baghdad
AMMAN, Jordan, 31 August 2007 – Afrah and her brother Bilal were barely teenagers when they were left to fend for themselves on the streets of Baghdad. Shy and awkward, the young brother and sister still carry the scars of their frightening separation from their family.
Child-friendly journalism gives young people a voice in Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 29 June 2007 – Mohammad’s TV show, ‘Sabah El Kheir Mosul’ (Good Morning Mosul), is different than most Iraqi news programmes. To balance the grim daily reports of bombings and violence, Mohammad, 28, is trying a new focus – the lives of children.
Jordan’s Queen Rania issues UNICEF’s worldwide call to action to aid Iraqi children
NEW YORK, USA, 23 May 2007 – Women and children are often the ones who bear the greatest burden of the turbulence and violence that comes with conflict.
Despite dangers, measles vaccinators fan out across Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 26 April 2007 – In one of the biggest humanitarian operations in Iraq in the last two years, 8,000 vaccinators are working to prevent a possible outbreak of measles among children, many of whom have not received routine immunization due to violence and conflict.
Despite dangers, an Iraqi mother is determined to educate herself and her children
NEW YORK, USA, 28 March 2007 – Nada, 40, lives in Baghdad with her husband and four children – two boys and two girls, all school age. “Our life is a hard life,” Nada (not her real name) told UNICEF Radio in a telephone interview.
Lack of safe water endangers the health of Baghdad’s most deprived children
AMMAN, Jordan, 21 March 2007 – For thousands of Iraqis living in crudely built cabins in the Baghdad slums of Sab’ Qsoor, a safe drink of water used to be almost impossible to find. The area has only a few pipes to supply municipal water, and many of them are broken or contaminated.
Displaced with her family in northern Iraq, a girl dreams of education
NEW YORK, USA, 19 March 2007 – Sheelan, 14, has never gone to school. Neither have any of her seven older sisters. Her family is Kurdish and has been displaced for two decades, ever since the Iran-Iraq War.
For a young Iraqi woman, a second chance to learn and grow
WASSIT, Iraq, 9 March 2007 - In a small classroom in southern Iraq, Reem (not her real name), 22, is bent over her books. The stifling air is making it hard to concentrate, but she is determined to finish the lesson. She knows the few hours she spends here could determine the course of the rest of her life.
On International Women’s Day, an Iraqi mother and daughter stay focused on education
NEW YORK, USA, 7 March 2007 – As the 51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women comes to close at the United Nations on 8 March, International Women’s Day, women and girls around the world struggle to make ends meet, get an education and stay safe. One of the places where these challenges are most acute is Iraq, where ongoing violence has become the norm.
Syria tightens entry requirements for Iraqi refugees as population pressure builds
NEW YORK, USA, 21 February 2007 – As Syria tightens entry regulations for refugees crossing the border from Iraq, UNICEF and its partners continue to advocate for humanitarian exceptions to the rules.
School restoration campaign builds hubs of stability in Iraq
NEW YORK, USA, 15 February 2007 – Schools are becoming critical hubs of stability within Iraq, thanks to a UNICEF-supported restoration programme designed to stem school closures and growing drop-out rates.
Improving antenatal care for mothers and newborns in Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 30 January 2007 – For Nadtha, 21, her last few months of pregnancy were an anxious time. With one toddler demanding attention and another baby on the way, Nadtha was worried about how she would cope with the demands of her growing family. She wanted to be reassured that the delivery would go smoothly and that her baby would be healthy.
Five girls killed in mortar attack on school in Baghdad
NEW YORK, USA, 29 January 2007 – At least five schoolgirls were killed in Baghdad yesterday when two mortars hit their high school.
UNICEF mourns the loss of Iraq staff member Janan Jabero, 1954-2007
AMMAN, Jordan, 10 January 2007 – On the last day of 2006, UNICEF staff engineer Janan Jabero, 52, left his house in Baghdad to go see a friend. He never made it. Several days later, his family and colleagues learned that he had been found shot to death in his car.
Samira’s story: Despite dangers, vaccinators fight to keep Iraq polio-free
BAGHDAD, Iraq, 15 December 2006 – Iraq’s fourth national polio campaign of 2006 is sending thousands of Iraqi vaccinators from house to house, to immunize children at their doorsteps.
Despite challenges, early childhood development efforts move forward in Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 20 October 2006 – The volatile security situation in Iraq, the difficulties of managing UNICEF country programmes from afar and the high turnover of counterparts in the government there all pose major challenges to the development of an Iraqi national policy on early childhood development, or ECD.
Football brings welcome relief for young people in Iraq
NEW YORK, USA, 7 July 2006 – Despite the violence and chaos that have plagued Iraq in recent years (not to mention the sporadic supply of electricity), Iraqi football fans have been riveted by TV broadcasts of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Iraqi children still committed to education despite ongoing violence
Iraq, 31 March 2005 - At the end of each school day, Selma Abbas, a veteran Iraqi teacher, prays that she will see her students return safely the next day.
Achievements in education and water supply highlight UNICEF’s continuing work in Iraq
NEW YORK, 2 February 2005 - In the last year UNICEF has managed to deliver $80 million of aid to children in Iraq – often in extremely dangerous and difficult circumstances. The greatest advances have taken place in education, but UNICEF has also supplied around 2 million litres of clean water each day for Iraqi children and families in need.
UNICEF on CNN about Iraq
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy was a guest last Saturday on CNN’s Larry King show. Among the issues she discussed were efforts to protect children and how UNICEF is working to help meet the needs of children in Iraq.
