January 4, 2024
News
In Iraq, Caritas Czech Republic has continued to move from providing immediate humanitarian aid to more sustainable forms of support, helping people rebuild their livelihoods and create new jobs. Follow along to read up on Caritas Czech Republic’s major achievements in Iraq in 2023.
1. We carried out internships for young graduates in Kirkuk and Mosul
By offering on-the-job training for 500 young graduates in Kirkuk and Mosul, we targeted one of the biggest challenges in a country with one of the youngest populations in the world: youth unemployment, which has been aggravated by an economy recovering from decades-long turmoil.
Caritas Czech Republic carried out two-month internships aiming at integrating youth into the private sector in partnership with UNDP Iraq. Many of the placements have led to permanent jobs, like in the case of the young electrical engineer Omar. “I am feeling better psychologically, and my life is much better organised after I started work ing,” says the young Iraqi.
2. We provided life skills training to young people in the Ninawa region
We delivered life skills and citizenship education training to 3,000 adolescents and young adults in the Shiekhan and Bashiqa subdistricts of the Ninawa region, an area hosting thousands of Iraqis who had to flee their homes during the invasion of the so-called Islamic State.
Alongside the training, in which young people learned about leadership, problem solving, effective communication, and setting up a business, we helped, in partnership with UNICEF, set up two innovation laboratories designed to develop entrepreneurship skills and encourage creativity.
3. We helped craftsmen and women grow their businesses
Through business management training and business grants, Caritas Czech Republic reached out to many craftsmen and women, supporting them to restore or build their own businesses and provide for their families in areas affected by the invasion of the Islamic State.
Among more than 200 craftsmen and women, we also assisted Muna, a single mother of six, to set up a clothes shop in her home. „Thanks to Caritas Czech Republic I can pay for all my family’s needs. I have a stable income and earn a living by selling clothes,” she says.
4. We kept helping farmers to rebuild their farms
In 2023, Caritas Czech Republic continued to assist farmers in Iraq who have returned to areas devastated by ISIS and severely impacted by climate change. We helped them rebuild their farms and provided them with modern equipment, such as greenhouses and large-scale irrigation systems, as well as necessary trainings.
5. We launched several initiatives to promote social cohesion
In Shiekhan and Bashiqa subdistricts of the Ninawa region, we assisted in organising several civic initiatives, such as sports and tree planting events, as well as promotion of ancient local heritage, and ethnic and religious diversity.
Moreover, we conducted several cohesion sessions in Anbar governorate, aimed at breaking down stereotypes about internally displaced Iraqis among host communities.
We can help the people of Iraq thanks to our donors and your contributions. Thank you for supporting our work.
