Program Details: Iraq

Mercy Corps' goal in Iraq is to help Iraqi communities meet their immediate needs while providing a solid foundation for the development of a secure, productive and just society.

Since 2003, Mercy Corps has worked to directly engage Iraqis in the rebuilding and renewal of their country. Village by village and community by community, Mercy Corps is helping Iraqis to restore hope and take charge of their future. Over the past three years, Mercy Corps has worked hard to build a seasoned staff. National staff members are now responsible for most day-to-day program management, with expatriates providing oversight and technical support.

The success of Mercy Corps' Iraq program, as well as the security of staff and program sites, depends on the acceptance and good will of local communities and leaders. The "Iraqi face" of Mercy Corps' staff plays a critical role in fostering such acceptance. A continuous effort to create mutual understanding and foster community investment in Mercy Corps' work has also been highly successful, enabling programs to keep running even through very turbulent times.

Programs in Focus

Mercy Corps implements reconstruction and development activities throughout Iraq. We also provide immediate relief to vulnerable families throughout the country who have been displaced as a result of fighting.

Responding to Displacement
As of October 2007, Mercy Corps has provided emergency humanitarian items such as drinking water, blankets, cooking stoves and kerosene to 140,000 IDPs across three Iraqi provinces, including some of the most violence-racked cities. We've provided more than 170,000 days of employment by funding the construction of wells, sports fields and additions to schools and health centers — projects used by more than 1.1 million Iraqis in the north and north-central regions of the country.

Our work is informed by an extensive survey of more than 10,000 displaced families in three governorates earlier this year. Ninety-three percent of those surveyed had received no assistance since their displacement. The results give us a better handle on where people are relocating to and on their needs.

Reconstruction and Democracy Building
In southern Iraq, Mercy Corps implements the Community Action Program (CAP) in partnership with USAID. Through CAP, Mercy Corps works with local communities, providing them a first-hand experience of democracy as they set their own priorities for reconstruction, development and participation in project implementation. Mercy Corps has helped create more than 280 Community Development Groups (CDGs), each with 12 to 15 members, and has directly served almost three million Iraqis. Activities range from the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure, such as schools and health clinics, to educational and economic development projects. Mercy Corps is particularly proud of its initiatives to reach out to youth, build computer training centers, promote women's literacy, train leaders in conflict management, and assist the disabled to advocate for their rights.

Sustainable Refugee Return and Reintegration
In northern Iraq, Mercy Corps works in partnership with the U.S. State Department to resettle Iraqi refugees returning home from Iran. More than 180,000 returning refugees and host community members have benefited from these programs. Mercy Corps helps returnees and local communities set assistance priorities, including the repair of social infrastructure (such as schools, health clinics and roads); supporting educational initiatives; ensuring access to water and sanitation facilities; generating short-term employment; and providing basic supplies and household items to returnees, displaced families, and other vulnerable individuals.

Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
With funding from USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Mercy Corps is assisting vulnerable internally displaced populations (IDPs) and host communities through water and sanitation projects, providing essential livelihood supplies, generating income, and repairing and rehabilitating shelter and other basic infrastructure. Support from OFDA also enables Mercy Corps to provide urgently needed emergency relief to families newly displaced, usually as a result of sectarian violence or fighting between coalition forces and insurgents. Assistance is typically in the form of basic supplies, such as plastic sheeting, blankets and cooking fuel. Through these programs, Mercy Corps has assisted more than 620,000 Iraqis.

Information Technology (IT) Centers for Excellence
Four Mercy Corps' "Centers for Excellence" train teachers, youth and other community members in internationally used computer hardware and software programs. Through these Centers, Mercy Corps also runs Internet exchange programs that enable Iraqi youth to engage in dialogue with youth in the U.S. and in Taiwan, whose government provided financial support for the centers' construction.

Promoting Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
In all of its programs, as well as through specially targeted initiatives, Mercy Corps is creating economic opportunities, raising awareness, strengthening local associations, and promoting access for Persons with Disabilities. Mercy Corps has developed an inclusive rights-based approach throughout its programming to address the many barriers faced by disabled Iraqis. All building construction, for example, integrates accessibility features and, whenever possible, people with disabilities are integrated into the program's community activities. Mercy Corps has developed peer-counseling workshops to build leadership skills and the self-confidence of youth and adults with disabilities, and has supported awareness and sensitivity projects around disability issues.