Canada will send an additional $5 million for civilians suffering from the ongoing conflict in Iraq. Of that $2.25 million will go immediately to humanitarian groups to buy food, hygiene kits, tents and other suppliers. The groups are the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mercy Corps, and Save the Children Canada. Other funding will go toward the repair of water and sanitation facilities and the purchase of medical supplies.
Listen‘Multiple tragedies’
“In Iraq today, there are multiple tragedies that civilians are facing,” says Sitara Jabeen, public relations officer with the International Committee of the Red Cross’ Middle East division. “We have more than one million people that are constantly on the move. They have been displaced from their homes and they continue to move from one area to another. And there are more and more areas that are now coming under the effect of fighting.”
Many people have fled their homes with nothing. They have many needs. Some are sheltering with friends or family, and they too are running out of resources and are in need of help.
Hard to deliver aid safely
The Red Cross has assisted 200,000 people and plans to help 21,000 more in the coming days. But access is difficult even in areas where there is a lull in the fighting. “There are areas in Iraq where you may not have active fighting going on but the situation remains extremely tense and very volatile. It can change anytime.”
The Red Cross contacts all factions to try to gain assurances that its workers will not be attacked but Jabeen says sustained access is difficult and makes it difficult to deliver much-needed relief. “The biggest challenge is to be able to have sustained and safe access.”
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