Two more female lead Mobile Teams to support women and children start working in Northern Iraq

The German NGO WADI is operating Female lead Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams (MCIT) in Northern Iraq since April 1993. In October it increases the number. These Teams operate in Kirkuk, Mosul, Arbil, Halabja, Hauraman and in the Camps of Internal Displaced Persons. They offer basic health services, treat women and children suffering from psychological problems and try to solve social tensions and problems.
Clothes, toys, milk and other needs are distributed to needy families, awareness courses are held. Until now the MCIT Teams helped more than 3 500 women and children in different ways.

They also conduct researches about the situation of both rural and urban women and children in the area, support the inter-ethnic understanding and conduct questionnaires about further needs of women in the region.

Women who suffer from domestic violence or face other severe social or psychological problems are regularly brought to the existing women's shelters in Suleymaniah or Arbil for treatment. Patients who could not be treated in the fields are shifted to hospitals in the larger cities.

Two more Teams are recently started to work in Kirkuk and Diyala Province covering the Germian area. The teams will also cover the newly liberated cities and surroundings of Khanaqin, Jalaula and Tuz Khurmatu. Germian Area, which is located southwest of Suleymaniah is one of the most vulnerable regions of Northern Iraq. Parts of it were liberated in 1991, others like Khanaqin and Tuz in 2003. This area suffered extraordinarily during the so-called Anfal campaign in 1988, when the Government of Iraq destroyed all the existing villages, killed tens of thousands of people and forced the others to live a desperate live in so-called Collective Towns. Also parts of the area faced a heavy Arabization Campaign. A lot of women are widows of Anfal or other victims of the Baathist rule. The health system is still poor, there is also a lack of social services not to speak about psychological programs. Khanaqin as well as Tuz were completely neglected by the Iraqi Government.

Manned with a female Doctor, a Social Worker and an assistant Doctor these teams offer basic health services, conduct awareness courses and distribute clothes and other needs to poor families. The well-trained staff informs women about their rights, discuss with them the challenge of participating in building a new Iraqi society and inform them how to combat violence against women. They are closely cooperating with different shelters for Women in Distress in Suleymaniah, where women, who suffer under domestic violence could be brought too.

Also these teams conduct researches about the living conditions of women and children in the region in order to assist them effectively in future.

In areas with a mixed population they try support the mutual Kurdish-Arab-Turkman understanding.

The two new teams operate in co-operation with Rewan Information Center for Women and are funded by USAID/ OTI.

WADI e. V.
Herborner Strasse 62, 60439 Frankfurt/ M
Tel: 0049-69-57002440

Suleymaniah Sub Office
0044-704-3156218

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	03.10.2003 \| ReliefWeb.int Two more female lead Mobile Teams to support women and children start working in Northern Iraq The German NGO WADI is operating Female lead Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams (MCIT) in Northern Iraq since April 1993. In October it increases the number. These Teams operate in Kirkuk, Mosul, Arbil, Halabja, Hauraman and in the Camps of Internal Displaced Persons. They offer basic health services, treat women and children suffering from psychological problems and try to solve social tensions and problems. Clothes, toys, milk and other needs are distributed to needy families, awareness courses are held. Until now the MCIT Teams helped more than 3 500 women and children in different ways. They also conduct researches about the situation of both rural and urban women and children in the area, support the inter-ethnic understanding and conduct questionnaires about further needs of women in the region. Women who suffer from domestic violence or face other severe social or psychological problems are regularly brought to the existing women's shelters in Suleymaniah or Arbil for treatment. Patients who could not be treated in the fields are shifted to hospitals in the larger cities. Two more Teams are recently started to work in Kirkuk and Diyala Province covering the Germian area. The teams will also cover the newly liberated cities and surroundings of Khanaqin, Jalaula and Tuz Khurmatu. Germian Area, which is located southwest of Suleymaniah is one of the most vulnerable regions of Northern Iraq. Parts of it were liberated in 1991, others like Khanaqin and Tuz in 2003. This area suffered extraordinarily during the so-called Anfal campaign in 1988, when the Government of Iraq destroyed all the existing villages, killed tens of thousands of people and forced the others to live a desperate live in so-called Collective Towns. Also parts of the area faced a heavy Arabization Campaign. A lot of women are widows of Anfal or other victims of the Baathist rule. The health system is still poor, there is also a lack of social services not to speak about psychological programs. Khanaqin as well as Tuz were completely neglected by the Iraqi Government. Manned with a female Doctor, a Social Worker and an assistant Doctor these teams offer basic health services, conduct awareness courses and distribute clothes and other needs to poor families. The well-trained staff informs women about their rights, discuss with them the challenge of participating in building a new Iraqi society and inform them how to combat violence against women. They are closely cooperating with different shelters for Women in Distress in Suleymaniah, where women, who suffer under domestic violence could be brought too. Also these teams conduct researches about the living conditions of women and children in the region in order to assist them effectively in future. In areas with a mixed population they try support the mutual Kurdish-Arab-Turkman understanding. The two new teams operate in co-operation with Rewan Information Center for Women and are funded by USAID/ OTI. WADI e. V. Herborner Strasse 62, 60439 Frankfurt/ M Tel: 0049-69-57002440 Suleymaniah Sub Office 0044-704-3156218 WADI e.V. \| tel.: (+49) 069-57002440 \| fax (+49) 069-57002444 http://www.wadinet.de \| e-mail: