A mother's anguish
She took a deep breath and started telling her story. At one point, she stopped. Tears fell. Ekhbal Mamood, 30, said she missed her parents and family who were left behind in Babylon, Iraq - north of Baghdad. When the fighting intensified in her town and the militants began abducting and beating men, her family decided to escape at midnight, leaving everything behind. Some of her relatives were not as lucky and were taken. “Our family is in so much grief,” she said. “We do not have any news of what happened to them.”
For days, Ekhbal walked with her family and others who were fleeing. They crossed the Euphrates River and managed to rent a car together with another fleeing family. The taxi charged them 350,000 Iraqi Dinar (IQD) ($295 (USD)); more than double the normal rate.
“After staying here for six months without income, we have spent all the money [we had] and do not know what the future holds for us,” said Ekhbal.
At that point, she was more worried about her youngest child, Ahmed, who was just 29-days-old. The family was directed to Piragmagrun, a small town near Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
The family relied on their savings to help pay their share of the 350,000 IQD ($295 USD) rent for a run down house with exposed wires and peeling paint they share with another family. “This is the cheapest we can get in this town,” Ekhbal says. “After staying here for six months without income, we have spent all the money [we had] and do not know what the future holds for us,” she adds.
“I am using this money to pay for our rent and for the needs of my children. This is hardly enough for what we need but it is a big help,” said Ekhbal.
Thankfully, for this month, Ekhbal and her family received help from World Vision’s cash assistance programme. This one-time support aims to meet the urgent needs of the family, allowing them to decide how to spend it.
“I am using this money to pay for our rent and for the needs of my children. This is hardly enough for what we need but it is a big help,” said Ekhbal, explaining that although her husband (who used to provide for his family through a taxi and a small farm) tries to find work, “many times he cannot find any work and comes home frustrated.”
Zaineb, 8, now watches over baby Ahmed and two other brothers Hamsa, 7 and Osama, 4, instead of going to school while her mother looks for a way to get more support for the family and to help her husband.
"We need to empower [families] by allowing them to earn their keep through initiatives such as cash-for-work and appropriate livelihood projects," World Vision's Jean-Gardis Monfiston.
World Vision’s Jean-Gardais Monfiston who manages the cash assistance programme in Sulaymaniah said the support is timely as displaced families are struggling and cash-strapped. But, he said World Vision is working on a plan for ongoing support of the families. “We need to empower them by allowing them to earn their keep through initiatives such as cash-for-work and appropriate livelihood projects.”
In partnership with the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), World Vision has provided cash assistance to 425 families in Sulaymaniyah, another 470 will also benefit once their status is verified with the help of the local government.
During the distribution activities, beneficiaries attend a session that explains where and how money should be spent –- prioritizing the family’s needs the needs of women and children.