Back to school in Iraq

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.