Ongoing

The people of Iraq have suffered in the shadows; most in the world unaware of their despair. Since the Gulf War in the early 1990s until today there have been major losses in medical care and food supplies alone. Embargos on trade coupled with government hording of supplies has left most people in the rural areas and distant cities with nothing to survive on. The recent war situation has aggravated the poverty for Iraqis as now they not only have the fear of death from lack of medicine, food and clean water but from the war itself.

Iraqis are in a dire state of need and will be for quite some time. If the war ended today and there was peace across all of Iraq, it would stake the citizens and new government nearly a decade to rebuild and get to a state of equilibrium with neighboring countries. Currently 20% of the entire population is under such severe poverty as to be life-threatening while more than 60% of the total population is dependant on food rations from external sources just to survive.

Infrastructure for Iraq is completely shattered as homes have lost power or only have it for a few hours a day; the water systems are poor and barely provide a trickle of clean water outside of a few major cities. Worst of all, education has become almost nonexistent as the literacy rate has plummeted to only 23% among people over the age of fifteen.

What are the key problems?

• Iraqis have little to no access to food supplies.
• Most medical care is restricted to larger cities.
• Damaged infrastructure makes clean water a precious commodity.
• The number of orphans and widows who are vulnerable to exploitation and harm is rising on a daily basis.
• Thousands of children have no access to education.

What can be done to help?

• Food provisions need to be distributed on a regular basis.
• Clean water and water purification items can prevent many diseases and make life more bearable.
• Medical clinics would be ideal, the current situation prohibits this so providing basic first aid kits which include disinfectants and sanitizers as well as basic medicines and instructions on use would be a great help to the people.
• Once the war has ended, orphan sponsorship and the establishment of care facilities for widows will be a possibility
• Providing Iraqis with educational materials to help them teach their own children and then providing schools once the war is over.

Zakat Foundation Response to the Need

In 2003 trucks loaded with supplies rumbled from Turkey into Iraq and unloaded in the towns where need was the greatest. Food, clothing, clean water, hygiene kits, medical packages, baby formulas and blankets were dispersed to thousands of people. A repeat of that event was met in the end of 2003 in a coordination with Qatar’s Red Crescent society as $15,000 worth of medical supplies were dispersed to Iraqi hospitals and another matched amount of food aid was distributed in coordination with Life For Relief And Development.

Since 2003, we have continued food package distributions at various times through the year with special concentration during Ramadan. Our Udhiya/Qurbani distributions have increased and have provided the only meat that many Iraqis have had for a long time.

Despite media reports, the view on the ground in Iraq is that literally hundreds of thousands of people are very much in need of your support for basic living needs.