Assisting internally displaced persons in northern Iraq requires developing the capacity of local organizations who best understand the needs of their communities to respond to the on-going crisis.

Project Snapshot

• Implementing Partner: Ankawa Humanitarian Committee (AHC)

• Duration: October 2020 – September 2022

• Budget: $2.5 million

• Location: Erbil

Context

The violent multi-year occupation of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the north of Iraq forced many of the religious and ethnic minority groups to flee to Erbil in the Iraqi Kurdistan region and elsewhere.  Many families suddenly found themselves without shelter and in desperate need for assistance.  The Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil was one of the first to respond to these families in need. During his 2018 speech, His Excellency Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, acknowledged the importance of religious tolerance for Iraq’s long-term stability: “How does our land overcome the endless cycle of persecution and violence that repeat themselves with regular horror to all of us? The harsh truth to this question is that without an end to this persecution and violence, there is no future for religious pluralism in Iraq, or anywhere else in the Middle East for that matter.” Assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Iraq requires developing the capacity of local organizations who best understand the needs of their communities to respond to the on-going crisis.

USAID Response

USAID is providing direct support to the Ankawa Humanitarian Committee (AHC) of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil to strengthen its ability to deliver relief services for IDPs. The AHC, established by the Archdiocese of Erbil in 2020, is a non-governmental organization that seeks to provide relief programs for displaced persons. By building the capacity of AHC in organizational management and tailored skills for supporting vulnerable populations, USAID seeks to enhance AHC’s ability to deliver support to IDPs and to implement future U.S. government (USG) or other donor-funded IDP-related programs.  This capacity-building activity is also supported through our Transitional Assistance to IDPs in Erbil, Iraq project implemented by Catholic Relief Services. 

Anticipated Results

• Build the capacity of the AHC so that it is well-equipped to implement future USG and other donor-funded programs.
• Develop the organizational system of AHC through guidance and milestones over the course of the project and beyond.
• Design an AHC-led activity using newly established organizational systems and policies to provide support to vulnerable populations in the targeted area.