CHILD PROTECTION ASSESSMENT
World Vision's child protection assessment
teams have discovered children as young as four begging or selling goods
on the streets in northern Iraq to provide money for their families.
The World Vision Germany funded research showed children work on the street during the day, often for up to 12 hours a day, but return to their parents' homes at night. The children often suffer violence on the streets. Many of the children have dropped out of school, or never attended school at all. Often family members are sick or disabled and unable to earn a living themselves.
Average earnings for children are between 500 and 3,000 dinars a day (16c to 2 US dollars).
"There are only 12 social workers for the whole of Mosul (population 1.3 million) so the social workers face a demanding task in protecting children and vulnerable groups in the city," said child protection specialist, Carol Toms.
World Vision is partnering with the United Nations Children's Fund to carry out the Mosul assessments, which are part of an Iraq-wide survey of children's situations.
RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONS
World Vision will continue distribution of remaining family hygiene kits to internally displaced people in northern Iraq tomorrow. The kits, funded by World Vision Japan via the Japan Platform, will be distributed by local teams in the city of Mosul.
The Sphere Standard compliant hygiene kits contain razors and shaving cream, soap, sanitary napkins, shampoo, toilet paper, tooth paste and tooth brushes.
The Japan Platform is a consortium consisting of non-governmental organisations, the Japanese government, private sector companies and academia which focuses on relief aid and reconstruction.
World Vision Japan is one of the leading agencies within the group.
Japan Platform has contributed more than USD 650,000 with World Vision Japan providing a match of USD 50,000.
WHEELCHAIR DONATIONS
Children with disabilities in northern and western Iraq will soon be mobile thanks to World Vision gifts-in-kind wheelchairs.
The World Vision Australia GIK has arrived in the port of Aqaba, southern Jordan. Customs clearance is underway and the Amman Liaison Office logistics team hopes to have the wheelchairs in Mosul and Al Rutba next week.
Al Rutba will receive 30 wheelchairs and 57 will be distributed in Mosul.
Program teams have been working with local communities to identify the most vulnerable families.
SCHOOL REHABILITATION
Despite ongoing security issues, the World Vision team in Mosul has rehabilitated 25 schools in the northern governorate of Ninewa.
Funded by World Vision Korea, via the Korea International Co-operation Agency, schools received new toilets, washbasins, water tanks and drinking fountains. Some schools needed new roofs installed to bear the weight of water tanks.
School principals, Ministry of Education representatives, project engineers and World Vision staff have been at the 'handover' of the schools from contractors.
The remaining 4 KOICA funded schools will be complete soon.
Another 95 schools will be rehabilitated with funding from the Office for Disaster Assistance, under USAID, and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).