World Vision scales up work as western Mosul offensive begins

Monday, February 20, 2017

World Vision is poised to support the children and families who are expected to flee western Mosul, as a military offensive to re-take the second half of the city gains pace.

The international aid agency is already supporting over 66,000 people from eastern Mosul, who have been leaving since the initial offensive began in mid-October. Aid workers have been running Child Friendly Spaces and carrying out distributions to help families stay fed and warm during the winter in camps just outside the city.

Ian Dawes, Response Manager for World Vision Iraq, said: “We know that conditions in western Mosul are dire with food and water shortages, and that hundreds of thousands may soon flee".

“We’re preparing for new arrivals in the camps where we’re already supporting thousands of children who have lived through unimaginable violence in the past two years.

“Many of the arriving children have survived extremely distressing experiences, some even to the point of being unable to speak. Our specialist staff have been providing psychological and emotional support in our child friendly spaces, which is just as important as the immediate physical needs that people have. Many have lost everything they owned after fleeing Mosul.”

The UN believes that up to 650,000 civilians could remain trapped in the western part of the city.

World Vision supports people who have recently left Mosul in Qaymawa, Khazer 2 and Debagah camps while helping to construct additional space in Hasansham U2 Camp. The organisation also runs widespread programming across the Kurdish Region of Iraq.

Interviews are available with:

Child protection and conflict specialist Erin Joyce, just returned from Iraq (in Melbourne)

Ian Dawes, World Vision national director, Iraq, in Erbil (Australian).

For further information, contact: Stuart Rintoul 0407 241 492

Media Releases, Iraq, Refugees

Back to all Results