Assisting women and girls with shelter improvements in Iraq
Peace Winds is assisting Syrian refugees in Iraq displaced by the brutal conflict and civil war. Many refugees have fled to northern Iraq where they are struggling to restart their lives. Adjusting to camp life is challenging for many reasons. The most difficult obstacles for refugees to overcome are unemployment, lack of security and shelter, and the limited resources available for families.
Many refugees do not have adequate access to proper shelter. Many live in tents or partially built structures. This an issue due to the lack of protection from the weather. It raises concerns about security and safety, especially for women and girls.
Lack of access to affordable, safe housing exacerbates gender-based violence. Traditional gender norms mean women and girls typically remain at home maintaining the household by cooking, cleaning, raising children, and other chores and labor. Tents do not have environmental controls and are difficult to secure, leaving women and girls open to potential violence. Sharing housing, especially when housing units are small or are incomplete, can cause additional stress and tension and increase the risk of domestic violence. Providing security and stability through structure upgrades, offering individual families housing opportunities, and implementing productive construction planning can help mitigate risks to refugee women and girls living in the camps.
Lack of access to affordable, safe housing exacerbates gender-based violence. Traditional gender norms mean women and girls typically remain at home maintaining the household by cooking, cleaning, raising children, and other chores and labor. Tents do not have environmental controls and are difficult to secure, leaving women and girls open to potential violence. Sharing housing, especially when housing units are small or are incomplete, can cause additional stress and tension and increase the risk of domestic violence. Providing security and stability through structure upgrades, offering individual families housing opportunities, and implementing productive construction planning can help mitigate risks to refugee women and girls living in the camps.
Peace Winds is partnering with the U.S. State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and UNHCR to assist refugees with housing and employment in four refugee camps in northern Iraq. This two-year State Department project will provide shelter upgrades to over 1,500 households and offer construction training programs to support income opportunities for refugees.
Peace Winds has staff interacting with families and surveying the shelters. This direct contact upholds accountability and ensures appropriate, targeted implementation. Peace Winds is visiting each shelter in the selected camps for evaluation and is coordinating upgrades and training, prioritizing women-led households.
READ MORE about Peace Winds’ work in the Middle East.
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