Officially registered as an NGO in Iraq and its Kurdistan region, we have implemented humanitarian and development projects in Iraq since 2003. As Iraq’s struggle with ethnic and religious conflict and its location at the frontline of climate change has significantly hindered its development, we work towards reinforcing climate and conflict resilience, expanding access to education and supporting livelihoods through our offices in Erbil and Tal Afar for host communities, returnees, refugees and internally displaced people.
The lack of educational infrastructure is a major challenge for education in Iraq. By improving the educational infrastructure the necessary stable and safe circumstances can be ensured for students and teachers. In 2019-2020 HIA rehabilitated and equipped 5 schools on the Nineveh Plains region, improving circumstances of education for 1557 students.
Accessing clean water is an everyday struggle to many families in villages and in IDP camps as well. In recent years HIA has set water tanks in several settlements, rehabilitated irrigation canals, reconstructed water networks and provided water cleaning system to improve the living conditions of ten thousands of people. As a result of water shortage farmer families often loose their income source so it is important to develop regions and train self-sufficient farmers.
Climate change and environmental degradation exacerbate the effects of poverty and marginalisation, making Iraq's most vulnerable even more vulnerable. It forces people to leave their homes, but it also impedes human mobility, sustainable development and access to rights. By placing particular emphasis on introducing regenerative agriculture, agro ecoogy and permaculture approaches, we focus on increasing climate change resilience as a cross-cutting issue throughout all activities.
The healthcare sector in several regions of Iraq was in a beleaguered state prior to the two decades of violence, with few specialized doctors and services available to residents only in larger cities. Together with our partners, we are working to improve the region’s healthcare sector by rebuilding primary health centers, providing them with critical supplies, furniture, and medical equipment. Improving the region’s healthcare reduces the community’s long-term vulnerability.
Following years of sectarian conflict, many ethnic and religious minorities have often felt estranged in the land they call home. Working with local Christian and Yezidi communities, HIA has implemented several programmes in order to provide possibilities for them to thrive in their ancestral homeland: supporting minority organisations, institutions, communities; vocational trainings and livelihood support.
