QRC to Raise $2 Million Aid for Displaced People in Iraq

Doha, July 06 (QNA) - Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has launched a campaign to raise US $2 Million for an urgent intervention programme as well as relief assistance for 6,000 families adding up to 30,000 people in conflict-affected Iraq, the Doha-based charity announced Sunday. QRC Secretary General, Saleh bin Ali Al Mohannadi told reporters QRC's campaign is in response to the worsening humanitarian conditions in Iraq. "Violence is alarmingly escalating in Iraq, and the available capabilities are insufficient. According to International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports, there are 478,860 internally displaced people (IDPs) from Al Anbar and 500,000 from Mosul. "IDPs who reached Iraqi Kurdistan are estimated at 400,000 people, which adds pressures on the region, already home of 220,000 Syrian refugees and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi IDPs from past clashes. Temporary sheltering and clean drinking water are the most urgent needs." Some IDP camps with a capacity of 7,000 family, or 35,000 people, are already under construction. Still, this is short of the increasing needs, and there are large numbers of homeless people taking refuge in mosques and schools, Al Mohannadi said. QRC Resource Mobilization and Investment Department Director Saad Shahin Al Kaabi, said, "The purpose of the campaign is to provide 30,000 people, or 6,000 most affected families, with food and material assistance, primary healthcare, water and sanitation services, and personal hygiene kits. "QRC has started a one-month urgent intervention to slow down the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis, by distributing Ramadan food packages to 8,000 displace families and providing drinking water trucks in Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaymaniyah for 1,000 families inside and outside of camps, in co-operation with local water authorities, which conduct water quality testing to reduce waterborne disease risks." The deteriorating health conditions of people in the conflict-affected area pose serious risks of epidemic. The most urgent needs for IDPs are water, sanitation, and medical services, as per assessments by UN agencies and partners. After the explosion of the main water plant, the western parts of Mosul have little or no access to clean drinking water and drainage. There are concerns that scarce water and sanitation services may cause health complications, particularly waterborne diseases such as acute watery diarrhea. Also, inaccessibility to medical care at hospitals increases risks of measles, cholera, polio, and severe respiratory infections. The QRC mission, which implemented multiple relief projects for Kurdistan's 220,000 Syrian refugees last year, conducted a brief situation assessment and initiated an urgent intervention programme, co-ordinating with local authorities/organizations and UN agencies to select target beneficiaries. Priority will be given to the families that lost their homes; are supported by women or children; have no income; or include members with special needs, kids, or old people, QRC said. Set up in 1978, the QRC is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which comprises the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) in Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 189 national societies. (QNA)