20-05-2025 | di COOPI

Iraq. A pathway to recovery for families in conflict-affected areas

In the heart of Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate, particularly in the Al-Hadar district, COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale is carrying out the project "AMAL - Protection actions and new opportunities for the entire community of Nineve, Kirkuk, Dohuk, and Salahaddin". Supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the initiative aims to rebuild lives shattered by conflict by offering protection services, psychosocial support and economic empowerment opportunities. Its goal is to help returning women and vulnerable families in Nineveh, Kirkuk, Dohuk and Saada move forward with dignity and renewed strength.

Among the beneficiaries is Mrs. Umm Ahmed, who shared her story with remarkable courage and resilience. She and her family face daily challenges, including the loss of official documents due to displacement, difficulty finding employment, and her children’s ongoing health issues.

I am a 38-year-old woman, married, and living with my husband and four children in the center of Al-Hadar district. After we returned to our area, we found that our home had been severely damaged during the military operations, forcing us to live in our old, dilapidated house.”

In addition, the family struggle with mounting debts from the cost of food and medical care and have been unable to afford school supplies for their children.

My 12-year-old daughter suffers from severe anemia, weakness, and general fatigue, which affected her ability to walk normally. We had to withdraw her from school out of concern for her health, especially after her condition worsened several times while she was at school."

Umm Ahmed received 450,000 Iraqi dinars in cash assistance, along with individual and group psychosocial support provided by COOPI’s dedicated field teams. This support enabled her to complete the necessary documentation for her family, access medical treatment for her daughter and purchase school supplies, allowing her daughter to return to school. The family was also able to repay part of their accumulated debts for food and healthcare. Reflecting on the experience, Umm Ahmed describes the profound impact of this support:

My feelings are indescribable after receiving this assistance. Seeing the joy on my daughter’s face every time she goes to school with her friends and plays with them without any health difficulties is something that words cannot express".

Moreover, the psychosocial support activities helped her children integrate better with their peers, especially one child who had been suffering from isolation and repeated mistreatment. The individual and group sessions contributed to ending the bullying her daughter faced at school, leading to noticeable improvements in her well-being. Her story reflects how the AMAL project goes far beyond emergency assistance: it offers a real pathway toward recovery and empowerment.

Since 2017, COOPI has been active in Iraq, initially focusing on education in emergency for refugees and host communities and, from 2019, it broadened its efforts to include water, hygiene and sanitation and livelihood programs. COOPI today continues its mission in Iraq, committed to expanding this life-changing support to reach even more families in need of hope, dignity, and new opportunities.