arche noVa expands activities in camps and prepares peoples’ return to hometowns

26.01.2018 - 15:59 - Iraq
Since several weeks arche noVa has been active for people on the move in two additional camps. In Nazrawa and Barzinja arche noVa is helping people seeking shelter far from their hometowns. Our local team works here, like in the four other camps where arche noVa has been active since 2015, supplying water and sanitation and conducting hygiene education. Overall about 22.000 people have been reached by arche noVa's activities in the camps.
Zwei Männer vom arche noVa Team in Nahaufnahme. Mit einer Zange wird ein Verbindungsstück eines großen Schlauchs festgeschraubt.
In the camp of Al Wand a water pipeline has broken down. The Iraqi arche noVa team could repair the broken pipe quickly. arche noVa manages the water and sanitary supply for six camps day and night.  
©arche noVa

Supplying 22,000 people in emergency shelters with WASH

Each site has their own special challenges to master. Our team in Barzinja took care of the water tanks that urgently had to be cleaned. That was an important contribution to improving hygiene and health protection, which had been neglected for a long time before our involvement in the camp.

But why is the support of so many families in the emergency shelters still so badly needed? – One may ask, thinking about the news of the military defeat of so-called IS. Our project coordinator Karin Uckrow answers the question the following: “In Iraq, big part of the population is still on the move. On the one hand, because the risk of terrorist attacks and mines is still extremely high, on the other hand because the hometowns of most displaced pople have been destroyed.”

 

Szene aus einem Dorf, links ein blaues Zelt, im Hintergrund Gebäude, rechts ein Schulkind und ein Dutzend Schafe.
Living in temporary accomodations is still daily life for many Iraqi families. Most of them want to go back home as soon as the security situation allows and they can see a perspective for them in their villages, wrecked by attacks and armed fights.  
©arche noVa

Wishing for a return back home

“Where should we go” is a sentence that our coworkers on-site hear. The return of affected families is not only the goal of the Iraqi government, but also the only long-term perspective that makes sense. “Nobody wants to permanently live in a camp”, Karin Uckrow emphasises. arche noVa prepares for this development too. Currently our team is evaluating a new project region around Kirkuk. The goal is to contribute to the reconstruction of communities, that have suffered under the occupation of so-called IS and the military conflicts. arche noVa is going to rehabilitate water supply systems for returning families.

Support for the communities 

arche noVa has already gained experiences with the construction and expansion of water and sanitation infrastructure in communities in southern Diyala in the last couple of years. Today we are still in cooperation with the local authorities to improve the supply situation in the villages, that have become a home for many displaced families from other parts of the country.

For our future activities for returning families we need your donations. Please support our project in Iraq.

Read more in our project description about what construction measures arche noVa is planning and how we work in the camps.

 

 

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