With the funds raised by the AVSI network in partnership with Caritas Iraq and the Chaldean Patriarchate of Babylon, children of Iraqi refugees can now attend kindergarten at the “Baby Jesus House”.
The life of a refugee is not easy. It means fighting exposure to the cold and heat under a tent. It means being constantly hungry and thirsty, and no longer having a safe place to learn and study. Hopelessness and despair abound. When it comes to a humanitarian crises like the one in Iraq, where more than three million people were displaced throughout the country, children are definitely the most affected and once more, a proper education is likely to be denied them.
Thanks to the #AVSI4Iraq campaign, however, children who live in the district of Ozal City, Erbil, Northern Iraq, don't have to face this difficult reality anymore. The new school, established with the help of Dominican sisters, opened its doors this week with a ceremony in the local church. From now on, 130 children will have their own space where they can learn, play, stay together, and experience what having a “normal life” means.
To be able to give these opportunities to more and more children, AVSI Network is running the fundraising campaign #AVSI4Iraq in support of Iraqi refugees. These refugees are mostly Christians who have found refuge in Erbil following clashes between the Islamic state and Kurdish militias in the north-east Iraq. AVSI believes that education is the first factor in human development, even in times of extreme emergency.