BAGHDAD, IRAQ – Recent years in Iraq have seen the removal of the former president, establishment of a parliamentary democracy, increased civil violence, and the attempted destruction of minorities.
Unemployment along with an inflation rate of 70% has led to nearly 5.6 million Iraqis living below the poverty line. The living conditions of at least 40% of this number are quite desperate. These factors all lead to further instability, violence, and terrorism. According to Insaf Safou, Program Leader for Impact Iraq, one group that is powerfully affected by this instability is the orphans. "Beginning in 2003 and continuing even now, the number of orphans in Iraq has been growing. It is just daily life now for the Iraqi people. At the end of a regular day, you could easily have met more than 100 orphans."
The word 'orphan' in Iraq often refers to situations where both of the parents are dead, but also incorporates single parent families struggling to provide the basic necessities of life for their kids. International Teams Canada, through the Impact Iraq program, is stepping into the gap and trying to bring hope to Iraqi orphans, as well as resources and education whenever funds are available.
Work with the orphans is somewhat unstructured, but of crucial importance to the families being helped. Insaf shares that they operate two ministries in Baghdad, a door-to-door ministry where they regularly visit families and help where they can, and a home church ministry that features a regular Bible study. "These two ministries include a lot of families from our community that have orphans in their care. Every time I go to visit these ministries, we buy clothes or see how else we can help. We help to pay tuition for one of the kids. Her mom is Muslim but she is sending her daughter to Christian school."
While visiting homes during the summer, Insaf and her team like to send one of the kids out to buy ice cream, as a very rare treat for the kids. Some families need shoes, while others need food or clothing. "When we visit, we look around and see what the needs are, and do our best to meet those specific needs. Our support is fairly informal, but we do our best to give special help to orphans wherever they are."
Insaf asks for prayer that these children have the opportunity to have a peaceful life like other kids, to be able to play and enjoy their childhood in a healthy way. To support the work being done with Iraqi orphans, please visit http://give.iteams.ca/impactiraq.
