Syria: Aiding Kurds and other vulnerable refugees

In 2023, Peace Winds staff in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq worked with more than 600 Syrian refugee families to upgrade their homes. These upgrades make shelters more accessible for family members with disabilities and the elderly by widening doorways, installing wheelchair ramps and handrails, and making latrines and showers more accessible. 

Now, Peace Winds is well on our way to beginning a new round of construction upgrades for nearly 700 additional homes for Syrian refugee families. Our teams have assessed refugees’ homes to prioritize those most in need, and they have begun orientations to let families know what to expect throughout the process.

Additionally, registration for Peace Winds’ “cash-for-work” program has begun. Rather than just hiring contractors like many aid organizations do, this unique program pays refugees in cash to complete their own construction to upgrade their homes. This allows them to earn temporary wages and hone construction skills that they can use to find future job opportunities. 

Peace Winds is also excited to announce that it is opening a new workshop space for refugees in Erbil! The new building will add to the existing workshops and tool centers that Peace Winds and Barzani Charity Foundation operate across seven camps in Erbil and Duhok. Refugees can borrow tools and use workshop spaces to make home upgrades and repairs or work on personal projects. They also take courses on tool use and safety, gaining skills that help them find employment. Peace Winds aims to serve an estimated 26,000 Syrian refugees through the tool centers and workshops this year. 

Finally, Peace Winds is working hard to make public spaces in the refugee camps in the region more accessible for disabled refugees. In 2024, our teams will complete 40 infrastructure upgrades that will improve safety and accessibility. These include modifications to public facilities in the camps such as additional seating and signage, wheelchair ramps, handrails, and coverings over open drainage channels. 

Our work supporting Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is made possible by the U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the U.S. Consulate General Erbil, and contributions from our supporters. Peace Winds is grateful for your continued support.

Peace Winds is nearing the end of our latest project year of upgrading homes and providing livelihood opportunities for Syrian refugees in Iraq! In the last year, our teams in the Kurdistan Region have worked together with refugee camp residents to make improvements to more than 600 shelters. Peace Winds is particularly focused on making the camps more accessible for refugees with disabilities. Modifications to homes include wider doorways, wheelchair ramps, handrails, and more accessible latrines and showers. 

Rather than hiring contractors like many NGOs do, Peace Winds’ unique cash-for-work program allows refugees to complete the construction work for their own upgrades in exchange for cash payments. All shelter owners who received upgrades in 2023 participated in cash-for-work, providing them with wages and skills they can use to find future employment.

In order to make public spaces more accessible for people with disabilities, Peace Winds has also completed more than 40 upgrades to public spaces in the last project year. These modifications make it easier for disabled refugees to access places like schools, camp management offices, hospitals, women’s centers, and other public spaces. 

Finally, Peace Winds is supporting Syrian refugees through our tool service centers, which are co-managed with our local partner Barzani Charity Foundation. Here, refugees can borrow tools and use workshop spaces to make home upgrades and repairs or work on personal projects. They can also take courses on tool use and safety, helping them build skills that are useful for future work opportunities. 

Peace Winds is also focused on making tool service centers accessible and useful for vulnerable groups including women and people with disabilities. In the past nine months, nearly 17,000 refugees have borrowed tools from the tool centers, and 1,500 have participated in training courses. Training courses specifically designed for people with disabilities have been popular, with 176 completing these training in the past nine months. Furthermore, more than 60% of all training participants have been women. 

As we move into 2024, our teams in Duhok and Erbil will support upgrades for nearly 700 additional shelters and 40 additional public spaces, helping Syrian refugees with disabilities attain the sense of safety and independence that everyone deserves.

Our work supporting Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is made possible by the U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the U.S. Consulate General Erbil, and contributions from our followers. Peace Winds is grateful for your continued support.