LocationsA father waits for the delivery of his life support package in Mosul.
"Ahalna" means “our people” in Arabic. It’s also the name of the distribution campaign started in late April by Local Peace Committee members supported by UNDP in partnership with Kurdistan Human Rights Watch and with generous contributions from the governments of Denmark and Germany.
1,450 life support packages have been distributed in Iraq’s Ninewa and Salah al-Din governorates and will continue in eleven districts in Anbar and southern Salah al-Din at the end of May.
Contents of a life support package.
What’s in a life support package? Each package contains cooking essentials including oil, sugar, lentils, rice, beans, tomato paste, tea, salt, Vitamin C tablets, and bars of soap for handwashing.
Khaled and his daughter in front of their home.
Khaled lives with his wife and five children in Mosul. They recently received a life support package at their home, which was damaged during the ISIL conflict.
Khaled’s wife unpacks the life support package.
“The coronavirus has greatly affected our family. My work in a small restaurant has stopped, and our living conditions have changed. Having to remain in our home for a long time has affected us all psychologically,” says Khaled.
In Iraq, and especially during the month of Ramadan, sharing meals is what brings family and friends together.
The family prepares a meal.
During the coronavirus pandemic, mandated physical distancing has affected social gatherings, and communication often occurs using technology. Khaled’s family does not have internet at home but communicates with family members and friends over the phone. They spend their time at home together watching television and cooking and eating meals.
Khaled emphasizes, “We are waiting for this pandemic to end so that we can resume our lives again.”
The family enjoys a meal together.
Beneficiaries were selected by the local peace committees supported by UNDP Iraq. As members of their own communities, the local peace committees understand the needs of their community, and where help is needed most.
Mohammed, a member of the East Mosul Peace Committee, explains, “Our local peace committees work to make an impact on communities through relationships they build with residents. For this distribution campaign, many community members volunteered to help, including sheikhs, elders, youth, teachers, and students. The timing for the distribution of packages is appropriate, as many people are missing their regular income due to coronavirus restrictions.”
In addition to distribution of life support packages, UNDP Iraq’s Integrated Reconciliation Project is working to provide grants to local Community-Based Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations in select areas to raise awareness about coronavirus and sterilize public spaces.
