OVERVIEW
Telafar city is located in Ninewa governorate, approximately 63 kilometers to the west of Mosul. The city’s population almost exclusively consists of Turkmen, including both Sunni and Shi’a. In 2014, the city was taken by the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an event that triggered mass displacement of households in the city and district.
In 2017, after a second, smaller displacement of households fleeing the impending fighting, Telefar was retaken. Since then, the majority of the city’s pre-war population has returned, along with displaced households from other areas of origin (i.e. in secondary displacement). These households arrived to a city badly damaged by years of conflict, which included damaged or destroyed housing, the presence of explosive hazards, as well as destruction of key infrastructure, such as schools and health centers. They also face a constricted economy, defined by limited commercial activity, a lack of capital by households and investors, and a lack of employment for job seekers.
Though the majority of the city's pre-war population has returned, findings from previous assessments indicate that many households remain in displacement, and that many households do not intend to imminently return as a result of limited financial resources, damaged or destroyed homes, and fear of being perceived as affiliated with the group known as ISIL.
As the context in Telafar city shifts from post-conflict to longer-term support for durable solutions, recovery, and development, detailed information on household needs and vulnerabilities, along with the response of various actors, is crucial to inform planning and activities. In support of these objectives and vision, REACH Initiative conducted an Area-Based Assessment (ABA) in Telafar city between the 24th of August to 10th of September, 2020, covering 55 key informant interviews (KIIs) with 23 community leaders and 23 subject-matter experts (SMEs), as well as 707 household-level surveys.
In addition, in a new approach compared to previous assessments, the current ABA also integrated a who, what, where, and when (4W) component to assess the response and programming of response actors across the city. The 4W component was conducted by ACTED, in its role as the lead agency of the Community Resource Center (CRC) and updates were provided by implementing actors in Telafar.
Consistent with previous ABAs, REACH intended to conduct all household surveys through face-to-face interviews. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented REACH enumerators from accessing the city of Telafar due to movement restrictions and public health considerations. As a result, household surveys were conducted by telephone, using a call list developed from CRC contact information. As a result of this non-random sampling approach, the representativeness of survey data is not known to an exact confidence level and results should be treated as indicative only.