In response to the crisis of widows and internally displaced persons in Iraq, USIP assisted the Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq’s work to provide this vulnerable population with practical education on legal rights, literacy, job-hunting and on-the-ground peacebuilding.

USIP Grant Supported Iraqi Widows and Displaced People

The sectarian strife that shook Iraq from 2006 to 2008 left behind a large number of widows and forced families to flee their homes in various parts of Baghdad. In an effort to respond to the crisis of widows and internally displaced persons (known as IDPs), the Iraqi government established two resettlement camps for them in October 2008. The U.S. Institute of Peace, acting through its Iraq Priority Grant Program, assisted this vulnerable population by helping to fund an Iraqi nongovernmental organization's pioneering work in one camp to provide practical education on legal rights, literacy, job-hunting and on-the-ground peacebuilding with residents from other ethnic and religious backgrounds.

The nongovernmental organization funded in part by USIP, the Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq (WAFDI), had to operate amid a variety of security, political and bureaucratic sensitivities. But the program illustrates how the Institute's Iraq Priority Grants Program, which provides grants of up to $100,000 for initiatives that build the capacity of civil society organizations, promote reconciliation and strengthen the rule of law, can help ameliorate some effects of Iraq's internal conflict and prepare some Iraqis to participate productively in a more peaceful society.

WAFDI, a group led by women, learned about dire conditions facing the women and their families in Al-Wafaa camp after reading an article about them in The New York Times. Trailer homes had been brought in to house about 145 families, 110 of them headed by widows. Most of the widows were living in extreme poverty and at risk of falling victim to prostitution, crime and recruitment by terrorists. Nearly all of the families had suffered the psychological trauma of having witnessed extreme violence and lost family members in the sectarian fighting.

The WAFDI staff conducted a site visit to assess the conditions of camp residents and survey their basic needs. They found that the majority of the women were illiterate, many children had dropped out of schools and some of the older men were experiencing serious health issues that left them unable to earn income for their families. WAFDI began seeking donations in order to help the residents of the camp with basic humanitarian aid. Contributions came from locals as well as friends and supporters of the organization from abroad. With those funds, WAFDI was able to implement some basic vocational training and legal-aid education for the widows. For example, they were taught sewing and educated about their legal rights under Iraq's laws and Constitution.

However, the WAFDI staff quickly realized the myriad problems facing camp residents went well beyond economic hardship. The most striking problem was that about 100 families who hailed from different neighborhoods and who–due to forced displacement–were still largely segregated inside the camp, had little interaction and felt significant resentment toward each other. The families came from the country's major ethnic and religious groups: Kurds and Arabs (both Sunni and Shi'a). In many ways, the refugee camp resembled a microcosm of the Iraqi nation in conflict.

With a grant from USIP's Iraq Priority Grant Program, WAFDI was able to mount a multifaceted support program at the camp from December 2009 until November 2010. The program featured an inter-communal dialogue series that brought together the residents of Al-Wafaa to discuss human rights, gender and violence, the constitution, rights of women, rights of children as well as tolerance and respect for others. Through 55 sessions, camp residents—women, men and youth—learned to interact with each other, and they discussed issues openly and constructively.

The program also included 21 legal-aid education sessions to help widows and their families understand their rights under the law and get access to government benefits and social services. Qualified lawyers provided pro bono legal consultations and follow-up for at least 10 of the widows. Consequently, they successfully filed for benefits and obtained social security for themselves and their children. Needier women grew to feel more empowered and began working on obtaining the sort of personal legal documentation needed to access and benefit from social services and government entitlements.

Another component of the project was the provision of literacy classes for adult women, along with instructional support to help displaced children prepare for exams they had missed and return to school. The two-hour classes convened three times a week for six months. At the end, all participants completed the literacy classes and passed a basic literacy test.

Though initially showing reluctance and even some suspicion about WAFDI's efforts, the camp residents quickly got interested in the activities. They were keen to attend the sessions and learn more about how to improve their life situations and reintegrate into the world just steps outside the walls of the camp. The camp residents began to show trust in the staff and in each other. They began discussing their problems and addressing their needs to members of the Baghdad Provincial Council. And, as WAFDI staff noticed, the direct relevance of the issues being discussed in the inter-communal dialogue and legal sessions triggered the interest of the camp's youth, sparking their desire to take part. Two female project participants from the camp were also hired as support staff by the NGO.

WAFDI's intervention was the first effort of its kind in Iraq, to my knowledge. It ended the isolation of camp residents and coached them on how to seek their rights and reintegrate into society. It also managed to attract the interest of government officials in the situation at the camp. A delegation from the Ministry of Human Rights and the Ministry of Women Affairs visited the camp and wrote reports documenting its conditions.

In addition, WAFDI led a campaign to raise awareness across Iraq about the problems of widows and IDPs and advocated for the rights of both. The campaign ran for three months in collaboration with other local NGOs and with the support of international donors, including the National Endowment for Democracy. Gradually, the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs began to respond. Camp residents were able to more effectively access benefits for which they were eligible, and more applications were processed successfully. More important, the people inside the camp came to feel that they were again part of mainstream society. Many, sensing that they were no longer so isolated or intimidated by others, felt ready to seek employment opportunities outside the camp. 

This progress came in spite of serious obstacles posed by the Baghdad Provincial Council and the camp's security guards, who took direction from some of the political parties. Reflecting the larger political struggle across Iraq, the camp's residents found themselves under tremendous pressure from a militant Islamic political party that saw the empowerment project as a potential threat to its agenda.

Corruption, old social traditions and gender roles were also at play in camp politics. Though WAFDI's staff and project were at first welcomed by the authorities, their work eventually came to be seen as infringing on the authorities' prerogatives. For example, WAFDI was ejected from the camp in early 2011 by the director of the Baghdad Provincial Council despite much opposition from his senior staff, who supported WAFDI's work in Al-Wafaa.

Still, WAFDI believes its USIP-supported work on behalf of widows and their families has made a difference in their lives and future prospects. Azhar Al-Hakim, director of WAFDI, describes this project as an “eye-opening experience.” Says Al-Hakim, “Before we set up our training center inside Al-Wafaa, the place was dormant and isolated. Our project paved the way for the other organizations to extend support to the people inside the camp. It broke their isolation.”

The humanitarian aid not only improved living conditions and reduced the risks of exploitation by criminal and terrorist groups; it helped to build bridges of understanding and collaboration among camp dwellers, fostering some cohesiveness in a community stricken by violence and poverty. The WAFDI staff also gained significant experience and knowledge about this type of humanitarian work—building their capacity and networking with local and international NGOs. After learning about WAFDI's USIP-backed project at Al-Wafaa, the Italian humanitarian organization and donor INTERSOS approached WAFDI about conducting a similar project in Baghdad's other refugee camp for widows and IDPs, Al-Mustafa.

Iraqis are known for their resilience after so many years of conflict.

And though the road ahead will be anything but smooth, the USIP-supported work at the camp has helped empower some of Iraq's most marginalized citizens to deal with the challenges of the present and the future.

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