Middle East, North Africa and Europe
Iraq ranks 128 out of 189 on the Human Development Index (HDI). CARE International reopened its programming in Iraq in 2014 and works with national partners to deliver humanitarian assistance and long-term recovery support to vulnerable communities.
CARE International in Iraq has been active since 1991, providing essential assistance to millions of individuals in need. We work with offices and partners strategically located to reach communities in need.
In 2004, CARE temporarily suspended its operations after a catastrophic event. We became active again in Iraq in 2014 after a military offensive in Nineveh displaced hundreds of thousands of people in the country's Kurdish Region.
Together with national partners, we deliver humanitarian assistance and long-term recovery support to the most vulnerable populations, across multiple Governorates in Iraq - including Dohuk, Ninewa, Salah Al-Din, Al-Anbar, and Diyala.
Since 2021, CARE Iraq has transitioned from a focus on humanitarian response to work on long-lasting solutions, development, and nexus programming. CARE's program in Iraq has evolved to place a strong emphasis on promoting equality and justice between women and men, as well as climate justice for the most disadvantaged Iraqis.
We work on multiple projects that aim to empower small grassroots women's rights organizations that currently lack adequate resources and capabilities. This enables women's rights advocates to take the lead in promoting peace, social inclusion, and women's participation in decision-making.
CARE Iraq is enhancing climate resilience, promoting climate-smart agricultural practices, and contributing to mitigation efforts to decrease climate change impacts. Skilled trainers educate participants on eco-friendly, climate-smart farming techniques and enhance nursery skills.
To learn more about our climate and environment programs, read our report: Capacity Statement on Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Justice
Hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced. Kadry Furany, CARE Iraq Country Director says Yazidi's return to their homeland, Sinjar must be 'voluntary and carried out under safe conditions'.
A recent study by the humanitarian organization CARE in Iraq found that almost 70 percent of the population is reluctant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Dohuk/Berlin, July 9, 2020. With more than 62,000 infections and over 2,500 related deaths[i], Covid-19 is pushing vulnerable communities in Iraq on the brink of survival. Highly vulnerable communities, including 1.4 million internally displaced people, are most at risk, warns CARE International.
In August 2014, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee from the Sinjar mountains when armed groups attacked the region. At the peak of the crisis, more than 6 million people were living in camps and host communities across Northern Iraq. Zubaida and Jihan are both graduates of a CARE job training program.
“How much is 80 litres of water? If you live in an older house, it’s a 4-minute shower.”
The case study, "Disrupted Lives: Climate Crisis and Internal Displacement in Sumel District, Iraq," explores the multifaceted nature of displacement in Iraq, focusing particularly on how climate change exacerbates the difficulties faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The statement outlines CARE International's climate change adaptation and climate justice initiatives in Iraq. It describes Iraq's vulnerability to climate change impacts like water scarcity and rising temperatures, and details CARE's projects aimed at enhancing resilience, promoting climate-smart agriculture, and supporting vulnerable populations, particularly women and youth, in adapting to climate challenges.
Midwives play an essential role as Frontline Health Workers in providing access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and how they act as agents of change. However, their situation in the crisis and post-conflict contexts of Iraq and Côte d'Ivoire shows how they often compensate for the shortcomings of resource-poor and sometimes dysfunctional health systems through high level of personal commitment.
In FY2024, CARE worked around the world, contributing to saving lives, fighting poverty, and increasing social justice.
