Back to school in Iraq

At the heart of rebuilding is education, a crucial part of helping a society recover from the effects of war. Going back to school is like a key to changing the lives of young people. It's not just about classrooms and books; it's a strong promise to create a path to a safer and brighter future. COOPI understands how important education is during tough times. It gives people a chance to overcome difficult situations and build a better life.

This journey starts in the classroom, where even though kids may have faced tough times, they can grow up to be aware adults who can shape their futures. Committing to this change means making sure a whole community can get back on its feet after facing adversity.

Returning to normality goes through the restoration of daily habits: going to school is one of those. That is the reason why many of COOPI's activities in the area are aimed at providing protection and promoting the education of children. COOPI currently intervenes in the region by setting up temporary schools to guarantee access to education for the most vulnerable children and to improve the quality of teaching by providing training for teachers.

Your contribution can be the key that unlocks a brighter future for countless young lives and communities striving to overcome the challenges of conflict. Together, let's build a foundation of empowerment and resilience.

Although the war ended years ago, the crisis and emergency situation in Iraq persists and the population is in an extremely vulnerable situation. In this delicate context, investing in education is essential to give them hope and guarantee them a future. However, even today, a large part of the refugee, repatriated and displaced population has no access to quality educational services.

Amira is a 6-year-old Iraqi girl who lives with her mother in the camp for displaced people in the town of Shirqat, located in the north of Iraq. Despite all the difficulties, Amira is an extremely cheerful child and she always has a smile on her face. However, in the past she had to drop out of school for some time because, like many of her peers, she didn’t have proper ID.

Thanks to our intervention, this year Amira was reintegrated into the school and, despite the inevitable initial difficulties, she has worked hard and managed to pass all the exams successfully. This had a huge impact on her spirits and allowed her to finish an entire academic year.

There are many refugees, repatriated and displaced children who, like Amira, don’t have access to the school system. This has deep consequences that, in addition to the loss of fundamental years of education, involves the reduction of opportunities for socialization that especially for young people are necessary. COOPI is committed to ensuring them the access to inclusive and quality educational services.