Winter poses another threat to Iraqi displaced

Maia fled from Sinjar mountains in Iraq when armed groups attacked the area in August. Together with her family she travelled for days, until they got to safety in the Kurdish region in Northern Iraq.

“I was running out of milk to my youngest child and we had no water to drink. For three nights we stayed in open air”, says Maia’s mother, Naam.  

The family has just received carpets, blankets, plastic sheeting and a heater from the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Rapid Response team. Now the mother is about to get the heather in place in the tent they have put up inside an unfinished building structure in Dohuk. At least the structure provides some cover from the rain, but the wind is blowing straight through the non-existing walls. During winter the temperature in the area is expected to drop below freezing point.            

Unmet needs

More than 2.1 million people have fled their homes, due to the conflict in Iraq in 2014. About half of them have sought safety in the Kurdish region in the north.

“Funding shortfalls, combined with this year’s sharp increase in the number of displaced means that many people will not get the necessary support. It is heart-breaking to see the conditions many of the people are living under and to know that the temperatures will only continue to fall, adding to people’s misery, says NRC’s Area Manager in Dohuk Monika Olsen.

Only 33% of the Iraq response plan for 2014-2015 has been funded. NRC is upgrading people’s shelter and supporting people with blankets, carpets and heaters, prioritizing people living in unfinished buildings – but the relief is far from covering the needs.

“We’re working around the clock, but we need to do some hard prioritizations”, explains Olsen.

Fatal consequences

NRC is especially concerned about the situation in areas where ongoing fighting and insecurity have left people without any access to assistance.

“The cold winter weather poses another threat to the displaced and we fear the lack of support in worst case may have fatal consequences”, says Olsen.

Last year several children died from diseases related to the cold weather and lack of medical assistance in neighbouring Syria. This year, UNHCR has warned of winter crisis for almost one million displaced Iraqis and Syrians.

Cold

In Dohuk Naam and her children appreciate the support they have recived.  

“It is very cold during the night. Sometimes it is so cold that it is impossible to sleep”, says Naam, while she puts one of the new blankets around the children.

“We are safe here and we are very grateful. But life here is hard, especially now during the winter”.