Life in Camp
Khazir camp is located halfway between Erbil and Mosul and spread across a huge plain. Men and women chat outside the tents, and children play on the dusty field. The number of residents in the camp is steadily rising, and according to air workers there, currently there are around 800 people living in the camp.
Abu Hassan, 38, and his family of five, are sitting in front of their tent sharing a light moment with residents of a neighbouring tent. His children’s clothes are covered with dust as they run around.
Most camp residents here are those who cannot afford to pay for rent inside the towns or do not have relatives there.
The cost of living in KRG-controlled areas is quite high. Renting a small house in Erbil city can cost up to almost $400. And this is well beyond the means of low-income families like Abu Hassan’s.
He says they have received enough food, but complains that health and sanitation services are not sufficient.
“There is no ambulance if someone falls sick and needs to go to the city,” he adds. “We need more medical care.”
Metres away, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), an international organisation helping refugees around the world, is installing makeshift bathrooms. Bulldozers are digging the ground, creating even more dust and haze.
The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has provided tents for the families. And the KRG and a number of international organisations are providing basic services such as food, water, electricity and security. Locals have also donated food to the IDPs here but refugees still feel more should be done.
Abu Sami, 33, moved here on Saturday with his family of five. As he washed his face using a public water tank, he expressed frustration with the situation in his city and the country at large.
“People are helpless back in Mosul,” he says. “There is no protection. People fear for their lives, their children and their loved ones.”
Although some may feel that the situation in Mosul is fine for the time being, it’s uncertainty over what might happen in the coming days and weeks that is dissuading many from going back home, even if a trickle has begun to head back.
Global Aid Network is trying to help those affected by this violent conflict. Would you partner with us?
For $100, we can provide an emergency relief package of food and non-food items to one family of five for a week.
(Source)
(Image Source: Refugees arrive in Iraqi Kurdistan (MEE / Mohammed Salih)