It's an extraordinarily tragic story: twins Dana and Zana Anim both lost limbs in a landmine accident in northern Iraq; then their two brothers died in separate mine incidents. Dana and Zana's lives changed in 2003, near their home in Khdir Bulakh [marked on the map below]. "We were both on a donkey looking after the sheep," Dana explains. "We didn’t know the area was dangerous – we had only recently returned to our village [after the 2003 Iraq War]. There was a huge explosion, then dust and blood. "We were then both very thirsty. We were there on the ground, bleeding and in terrible pain, for half an hour until my father came, put us on a truck and…

The Iraq Foundation (IF) is excited to share our successes and accomplishments covering activities from January - March 2014. We are pleased to announce that Ms. Selwa Gailani became Executive Director of the Iraq Foundation on March 10. We also are continuing our support for the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq in their American debut! Please consider supporting the "world's bravest orchestra." Due in part to the efforts of our PEACE National Coalition and Task Force, the Iraqi government declared on February 6 that they will launch a National Action Plan to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325. This resolution which reaffirms the role of women in prevention and resolution of conflicts and sustainable peace-building. Iraq is now the first…

Monday night PAX organized a flashmob in the Family Mall in Erbil as part of it's activities in the framework of the "Kulluna Muwatinun - We are all citizens" program. This program is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the EU. The program promotes freedom of religion and the protection of minority rights from a conflict transformation perspective, aiming to strengthen a discourse of citizenship and equal rights to counter sectarian mindsets. The participants worked during 2 days to prepare the event during the training to define the message to be shared through the event and informed local authorities (members of the Erbil Governorate Council and Director of the NGO directorate of Kurdistan) and media about the…

Violence in Anbar province, western Iraq, has caused some 380,000 people to flee their homes, with more than 18,000 people seeking refuge in Tikrit, the capital of neighbouring Salah al-Din province, over the past month. Despite a very volatile security situation in Tikrit, a team from the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières(MSF) is providing the displaced people gathered there with relief items and assessing their medical needs. Medical attention required for wounds, burns, or psychological distress Most of those arriving in Tikrit are women and children. Many require medical attention for wounds or burns, or are suffering psychological distress caused by the ongoing fighting. Despite the efforts of the local community to accommodate the newcomers, most now face very…

ACTED, with UNICEF, provides safe spaces for children and youth fleeing Syria, in Qushtapa and Darashakran Camps in Iraqi Kurdistan. Children participating in ACTED’s programs as well as community leaders have identified early marriage as an increasing issue in the camps. Responding to this threat to children’s safety, ACTED has sensitized staff and joined forces with protection actors to advocate for vulnerable children and youth. The conflict in Syria, ongoing for over three years, has caused mass displacement of nearly 220,000 refugees into Iraqi Kurdistan. Over half of this vulnerable population are children under the age of 18. Early childhood marriage is on the rise within the camps ACTED has been providing safe spaces and protection services for Syrian refugee…

Nature Iraq's Waterkeepers Iraq program initiates the Choman-Rawanduz River Expedition this week with a major Kick-Off Event on the 9-10th of May on the river near the town of Choman in Erbil Governorate. The expedition is an opportunity to promote and celebrate Iraq's amazing wild rivers and raise awareness about the threat they face. The Kick-Off will include music, arts, nature walks and presentations. There will be talks and demonstrations with experts on river safety and kayaking and water quality monitoring. All are welcome to this free event, which runs 12 to 5 pm on Friday,9 May and 11 to 5 pm on Saturday, 10 May. There will also be outreach events on 16 May in the Rawanduz Gorge ....…