In this conversation, Hussein Al-alak sits down with Liz McRae of the US-Iraq based Iraqi Children Foundation.
As global attention is focussed on the Covid-19 Pandemic, we hear a first hand account of the work taking place, to safeguard the welfare of Iraq's future generations.
What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Liz McRae, and I am the Executive Director of Iraqi Children Foundation.
Can you tell us more about the Iraqi Children Foundation?
The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) intervenes in the lives of orphans and street children who are vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation by criminals, traffickers and extremists.
The organization was set up ten years ago by Americans who saw the need to help rebuild Iraq after so many years of conflict.
More than 800,000 children were orphaned as a result of the Iraq War, and the ISIS occupation displaced another 1.3 million.
Our vision is that all children in Iraq have a voice, and are empowered to reach their full potential.
All our programs have this goal in mind.
We help vulnerable children through programs like "The Hope Buses"; we convert used city buses into colorful, child friendly classrooms.
Each bus has two teachers and a social worker, and serves around 50 children with tutoring, nutrition, health care, social services, practical life lessons, community, and fun.
Another program is called "The Street Lawyers"; a team of lawyers who provide legal protection for children who are targeted by criminals and traffickers, abused by employers, or are facing other risks.
They also assist children to get their papers so that they can go to school.
Can you explain how the Covid-19 Pandemic is impacting Iraqi children?
Many children in Iraq face incredible hardship every single day, often without access to proper nutrition, education, healthcare, and safety. COVID-19 adds new challenges for these children, and also exacerbates the existing issues.
For children living in poor communities, social distancing is difficult (if not impossible) due to large numbers of people living in close confines, and there may be little or no access to hygiene supplies or PPE, food, work, school, and community members.
The bottom line is: COVID-19 makes vulnerable children more vulnerable.
How is the Iraqi Children Foundation safeguarding children during the Covid-19 Pandemic?
During this critical time, we are doing our best to help keep children as safe and healthy as possible.
Teams have been distributing food and hygiene supplies to vulnerable children and families in multiple cities, and our Hope Bus staff have paid home visits to children from the Hope Buses to show them how to use PPE and practice good hygiene so that they can stay safe during COVID-19.
We continue to work with the teams on the ground in Iraq, who are doing their best to work safely and always with the best interests of the children in mind.
The Iraqi Children Foundation host the annual In Their Shoes 5K in Virginia, where teams from across the USA come together and raise vital funds for ICF. Due to Covid-19, In Their Shoes 5K 2020 had to be cancelled but will be back next year.
Many people may feel powerless at this time, can you please tell us how people can get involved with the ICF from home?
You can do a lot from home; you are not powerless to help the vulnerable children in Iraq. Here are some things you can do to help:
Follow and spread the word - follow us on social media to learn more about the challenges Iraqi Children are facing, to hear ICF news and progress, and help to spread the word so we can make a much larger impact.
We're on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. You can also visit our website www.iraqichildren.org for more information.
Give what you can - every dollar matters, especially now. Donate any amount at our Global Giving page to help. Also, new monthly donors get a 100% match on their first month of giving.
Fundraise - help us fundraise; start your own mini-campaign using Global Giving or Facebook - it only takes 5 minutes! You can also email me at liz@iraqichildren.org to find out more, and we can help you set it up.
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