In consultation with indigenous Middle
Eastern leadership and several faith-based, non-governmental relief agencies,
FHI will serve in a co-ordinating role for an Iraq relief preparedness
and response consortium.
Outcomes from the preliminary planning
incorporate plans to establish a cross-border camp, managed by Manara Ministries,
a Jordanian agency based in Amman, Jordan, in partnership with several
other related, faith-based Jordanian agencies.
FHI will share oversight and co-ordination responsibilities in the new consortium with Venture International, an agency with long experience working in the Middle East.
An FHI consultant is currently addressing capacity issues to ensure Manara will be equipped to manage the effort. Response sectors will be food/cooking kits, water/sanitation, non-food items (blankets), and possibly some level of medical care.
The consortium will finalise firm beneficiary figures, gift in kind needs, and an associated gift in kind policy by the end of February 2003.
United Nations officials are estimating that as many as 600,000 refugees could potentially flee Iraq due to impending war. Iran, Turkey, Syria and Jordan are the countries most likely to be destinations for Iraqi refugees.