Aiding Syrian Refugees and Vulnerable Groups in Iraq
With field offices in Duhok and Erbil, Peace Winds has been working in Iraq since 1996. Our teams have extensive experience in the Kurdistan Region as well as Ninewa, Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Diyala Governorates. Recent programs are focused on supporting Syrian refugees, internally displaced Iraqis, and local host communities through vocational training, tool-lending services, apprenticeship opportunities, and accessibility modifications to homes and public spaces.
Accessibility Upgrades for Syrian Refugees
In 2018, Peace Winds began receiving funding from the U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) to upgrade substandard shelters for Syrian refugees who have fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). When they have more durable shelters, refugees say they gain an increased sense of safety and dignity.
Peace Winds’ shelter upgrade project in the KRI also focuses on making homes and public camp infrastructure safe and accessible for persons with disabilities. This includes widening doorways, making showers and latrines more accessible, adding ramps and handrails, and covering open drainage channels through walkways.
From 2018-2024, Peace Winds teams completed upgrades to the homes of more than 5,400 Syrian refugee families. In 2024, we also completed 31 construction projects to make public spaces in the camps, such as schools, mosques, and health clinics, more accessible for refugees with disabilities.
Helping Syrian Refugees Build Vocational Skills
As part of the PRM project, Peace Winds operates workshops and tool service centers in refugee camps in Erbil and Duhok, Iraq in partnership with Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF). In 2024, we expanded the vocational program to include four camps for internally displaced Yezidi Iraqis, who fled genocide and religious persecution by Islamic State.
Tool centers allow participants to attend training courses in subjects such as plumbing, electricity, construction, and household repairs. They can also borrow tools free of charge for personal projects or home improvement and repairs. The program helps refugees build skills so that they can find future income-earning opportunities, and participants also save time and money they might otherwise spend renting tools or hiring contractors. Our work also includes an apprenticeship program to help trainees connect with employers.
Through Peace Winds’ unique cash-for-work program, refugees who receive upgrades to their shelters can choose to perform the construction for their own homes. This provides them with wages and teaches them new skills they can use to find future income-earning opportunities and support their families.
