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20 April 2024 / 11. Shawal 1445

Muharram 1436: Iraq Relief Fund ‘Let me tell you something that may break your heart"

Across Iraq, the distress faced by the nation’s people at the hands of the extremist insurgent group known as ISIS (Da’esh) is so great that it is often indescribable – where ‘seeing is believing’. A few weeks ago, The World Federation sent a team member to Iraq to assess the situation there and to gather information that would allow us to chart an effectual relief plan to meet the needs of as many of the 1.8 million displaced people there as possible.

To this end, The World Federation has identified 1,000 vulnerable families who urgently need our help. Our team member had the opportunity to visit many of these families and spoke with them one on one about their plight. Upon his return he said to us:

“I’ve heard too many heart-rending stories of suffering. I’ve seen with my own eyes the dire conditions in which these families are living in and I can tell you that such conditions are simply unacceptable to any decent society. The displaced people of Iraq need our help and they need it now.”

Whilst so many stories narrated to The World Federation on this visit reveal horrors, here are two cases that are representative of the overall plight of the internally displaced people as a whole in Iraq:

STORY 1:  A family of 6 lives in a one-room improvised shelter. Within this small space, they must live, eat and sleep. In one of the four corners, they have dug a hole which they have designated as a toilet. With the absence of any water and sanitation systems here, one can only imagine the stench lingering in the air which they must breathe in and the unhygienic conditions of the room – creating a breeding ground for diseases and other health issues.

STORY 2:  Umm Zainab, a mother of two witnessed the murder of both of her sons being burnt alive.  The atrocity does not end there but further continues to the extent that in order to buy her freedom, she was forced to consume the burnt remains of her two sons. She is now living along the main road between Najaf and Karbala, where she continuously searches for shelter, protection and aid.

Perhaps a few years down the road, the stories of these families will have a different, happier ending. Until then, they urgently need your support to offer new hope for the present and for the future.

PLEASE DONATE:  IRAQ RELIEF FUND - SHORT TERM HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

This Muharram, ‘Welcome a Family’ who is displaced and has found refuge in Najaf, Karbala and areas South of Iraq, by gifting them with a ‘Home Comfort Kit’. Your donation, be it great or small, will mean so much to those in need. Each kit costs $1,000 and includes:

  • Winter Aid Packs (blankets, pillows, heaters, clean water)
  • Hygiene Kits (towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, dishwashing and laundry detergent, feminine hygiene products, soap and baby diapers
  • Emergency shelters and transitional housing
  • Food ration
  • Water and sanitation services and systems
  • Emergency educational facilities
  • Emergency healthcare facilities

To download the poster, click the attachment.

DONATE ONLINE:

In Europe, click here

Rest of the World, click here

JAMAAT TREASURER

Donate directly to your Jamaat Treasurer

For more information, please email [email protected]


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Please check back here soon to read this in French.