A brief Introductory to Christian Aid Program CAPNI

Transcription

1 CHRISTIAN AID PROGRAM NOHADRA - IRAQ ةخرزت دعودرنا مشيخيا نوىدرا - عريق A brief Introductory to Christian Aid Program CAPNI CAPNI, the beginning: CAPNI s beginning was in summer of 1993 at the city of Nohadra (Dohok) in Northern Iraq. The mission was to supply and provide the needy families with basic food and living material due to dual sanction imposed on Iraqi Kurdistan. From one side the United Nation s imposed sanctions on Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait and the golf war that ensued, and from the other side the sanctions imposed by Central Iraqi government because of the uprising that followed the gulf war and the mass flee to the mountains of Turkey and Iran that led to the declaration of the UN protected Safe Heaven. Stability: With the relative stability that came to Iraqi Kurdistan and the return of the families and rebuilding to their villages, most of which were destroyed, CAPNI s work expanded. From one side CAPNI became in 1995 a registered organization that is subject to the laws and rules, and from another side, as needs were increasing, and financiers, partners also started to increase. This made CAPNI to deal and execute more and more projects in various field of human needs. Growth: With CAPNI s development, by Grace of God, and participation of a long list of humanitarian organizations we were able to execute many programs as will be described later. Second Gulf War 2003: With all indicators pointing toward the second gulf war, CAPNI prepared for its consequences in terms if the internal displacement of people and to provide with their basic needs. CAPNI was in fact ready from the first days of war to execute its refugee emergency plan by securing food, medicine, clothes, heating oil and shelters to thousands of refugees. Total costs for this program mounted to over 150,000.0 Euros that was provided by church and friendly humanitarian organizations and in particular from Germany. With the new post-war situation, CAPNI was able, for the first time, to expand its working parameters to include the regions that were under the control of the central government, in which CAPNI was unable to serve before. CAPNI commenced with the first days after the war to run its programs that centred on providing the basic food and medicine. The mobile clinics started providing medical services to villages and township that lacked the basic medical services.

2 In Baghdad, CAPNI started clinic to provide, free of charge, medical services to needy patients. In addition to the above, CAPNI keeps to provide baskets of food and clothes supply to needy families as frequent as what is offered by friendly humanitarian organization. CAPNI and the new era in Iraq: Throughout personal visits, considerations and investigations, and throughout mutual discussion with various community references and personalities, it was concluded to take the following points in consideration in planning for CAPNI projects: First: Expanding the geographic region of CAPNI plans to include Nineveh Plain. This is due to the fact that Nineveh Plain had been, for specific political reasons, ignored in terms of governtal services, such as schooling, health care, etc. Second: Iraqi Kurdistan being the region of Christian Assyrian villages which were destructed by the ex-regime (around 150 villages) remains an important region for CAPNI and other NGOs programs to help the returnee families to their villages. It is well known that most of the families of these villages were forced to flee to Iraqi big cities, e.g. Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk. Those who were living in ex-regime controlled area (Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk) were prohibited from the return to their villages in North Iraq which was out the control of the regime since A big number of these families returned to their villages. It is our task to help them, particularly in habitation. Third: The continuous need for medicines, particularly chronic disease. Fourth: It is the time to move for the intermediate phase, i.e. re-habitation programs of schools, health centres, etc. In parallel to this need, it is important to focus on income generating programs to support needy families, mainly the displaced families, to get their income and to live in dignity. The unemployment is the main challenge facing Iraqi youth, mainly the Christians, and leading them to leave the country. Fifth: In the same regards, special children programs are to be considered. 2

3 CAPNI and displaced people needs: The fast & dramatic fall of the ex-iraqi regime and the collapse of Iraqi state goverental system and institutions after the 2003 war created a huge vacuum of power. Instability of the Iraqi administrative system and insecurity in the Iraqi parts and cities, which were controlled by the ex-regime, became a big and major problem facing Iraqi people: Iraq became an open field of terror and violence carried for different reasons, backgrounds and goals. Sectarian violence, ex-regime supporters, criminal gangs, etc start to act in Iraq and are carrying their crimes against innocent people who became daily victims of terror and violence. In addition, the public services in all the sectors; health, education, electricity, etc, collapsed totally and increased the suffering of Iraqi people. Taking in consideration the international embargo implemented against Iraq since 1990, we can understand the miserable situation of these sectors even before the 2003 war. On other hand, it is very clear the negative impact of these circumstances on the economy of the country, starting from the first point of family income. The private job market is severely damaged because of insecurity and lack of electricity and other facilities. Hundreds of thousands of families lost their income. Iraqi Christians, as a peaceful and powerless minority, became the soft target for the violence and terror from different groups and in different cities, mainly Mosul, Baghdad and Basrah. Christians responded to the terror and violence, etc by fleeing the big cities and a significant and huge exodus of families is continuing. Indeed, the Christianity existence and future in Iraq is threatened. This is the challenge to all who believe to keep the religious, ethnic and cultural diversity of Iraq. The plan to evacuate Iraq from its native and indigenous Christian Assyrian people must be faced with a counter plan to support them staying in their homeland and sharing the future with all Iraqis in dignity and equality. The exodus is going into two directions. One is inside the country as the families are fleeing to Iraqi Kurdistan region and Nineveh plain, which is attached to the Kurdistani region and is protected by Kurdish Security forces. It is a region of Iraqi minorities, Christians, Yezedians and Shabaks who are welcoming the IDPs, understanding and feeling their suffer, accepting them and trying to support them. Therefore, it is preferred by the IDPs. The other direction is to neighbouring countries, namely Syria, Turkey and Lebanon. However, the families who are fleeing to Kurdistan and Nineveh Plain are within our focus in CAPNI and there is a great need to support them in different means. What do the IDPs face? The displaced families face many problems and needs, such as: housing, feeding, house items, school needs, kerosene and fuel, health care, jobs, etc in addition to the social psychological needs 3

4 taking in consideration the displaced families who lived and graduated in multi million populated city of Baghdad are now to live in small townships with couple of thousands people. Local authorities are trying to help in many fields, such as opening classes for the displaced children. Kurdistan Government financial minister offered a huge program to build houses, churches, community halls in the different villages for the returnees. And so on.. But there is still great need to support the families in terms of sustainable programs focusing on income generating programs to create jobs for them, and in terms of improving the infrastructure of the region of Nineveh Plain and Iraqi Kurdistan. In addition, the most important need to be considered and covered by CAPNI and NGOs is reconciliation; social peace, tolerance and human rights principles programs to bring the different Iraqi community components together as a united body that have mutual and common responsibility towards his common future. In this regards, the women, youth, cultural and social centres are with great priority and must be considered in CAPNI plans.. CAPNI contributions to IDPs: CAPNI is trying, within its partners financial capacity, to help the families to face these challenges. For example, a huge relief program was funded by CAPNI partners to support the displaced, with food baskets, house items, etc The children from needy families attending schools were supported with school items. CAPNI mobile clinics are offering the possible basic health care and medicines. A significant material support in term of animals husbandry, planting tractors, irrigation canals, seeds, greenhouses, etc is been offered for returnee farmers families. More than 50 shops of different professions (electrical installations, black smiths, auto repairs, hair dressing, etc) for skilled displaced youth were opened to help them getting their income. 4

5 Strengthening Eastern Christianity in Iraq through Education Programs and Institutions Is one of the main programs undertaken by the ELKB and ELKW, with partial contribution from Lutheran Church in Hessen Nassau and Evangelical Church of Zurich in Switzerland, is a three year (since 2011) multi-layer programs the focus of which is; Pastoral field; (Liturgical Courses, Bible Study, Summer Camps, printing Church books and magazines, lectures, and establishing a Kindergarten). Youth; (Curriculum Courses, workshops, printing). Women; (Vocational Training, workshops). The above programs and activities have been undertaken by various parishes, Youth, and Women organizations in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Diana, Nineveh Plain, and Duhok all of which are supervised by CAPNI. Brief introductory and background of the program: Christianity in Iraq is characterized by several positive features and powerful factors, but at the same time it also lives some negative aspects and many factors of weakness. On the one hand, Christianity in Iraq: Is very old and its roots go back to the first generation of Christ s disciples and the church fathers. It is, because of this historical factor, rich with its ritual, literary and liturgical contents. It is characterized with an Eastern spirituality and specialty that appears in its theology and rites. It is rich in its giving to Christianity, as it was the spiritual mother church of East for the Christianity of Asia. On the other, since many centuries and until the day: It transferred to the mode of self-protection and existence-protection under Islam. It suffers from decrease and turning to the back in its teaching and social institutions. It suffers from demographic and geographic decrease and turning back. It suffers from division which is accompanied by the dispute among the different churches and the attempts of some churches, especially the Catholic Church, to put hand over the Eastern churches. As a general phenomenon, there is a semi-absence in the church attendance in the everyday life of its sons. Also, there is a semi-absence of the ecumenical work programs among these churches. These points have many reasons; the main one is the church and ecclesiastic institution itself, as it is the case with the general situations of the sons of the church under the sequential political organizations. With the current situations in Iraq after the fall down of the regime, the situation, attendance and activity of the church in its sons lives is terrible and not good by all means. The ecclesiastic scene in Iraq lives a state of inconsistency and contradiction; on the one hand, the security and political situations in Iraq produced an attendance for the church, at least in the form of callings and statements, in the Iraqi political scene. 5

6 Yet, on the other hand, the church has been almost absent in the decision making of the Christian family and the Christian society, which have been facing big threatening and difficulties, the least of which cannot preserve and maintain their life and existence., The mass flee and displacement inside Iraq and into the neighboring countries shows the extinct of the dangers that face this existence. Moreover, we are talking about a society and a country that, in the recent decades, passed through a long series of wars and its consequences concerning social, educational and psychological situations. Also, its respective generations lived decades of international besiege and the besiege of the central government, which had the biggest and harshest influences not only on the infrastructure of Iraq, but also on the building up of the human being himself, his personality, dignity and his life estimations. Thus, even if it is possible to rebuild the infrastructures of Iraq through the enhancement of the security situation and the political stableness and functioning the big economical sources of Iraq, reconstructing the human being along with the family and treating the social, educational and psychological diseases that these decades have produced remains so important and it is a challenge that is not easy especially when lacking its materials. The Christian church in Iraq should carry its responsibility and it should make a review on its reality and situation and it should follow work programs and plans to bring back its role in life and to move it from a museum of a Christianity, literary and rich liturgical inheritance into a living church that live with its sons and affect them and get effected by them. If this responsibility is for each individual church with its ecclesiastic and towards its sons, there still remains a wider extinct for this responsibility which is the ecumenical work among the Iraqi churches far from the spirit of ritual division. In all of these points, the ecclesiastic has its role and attendance, but how can it do that unless it is qualified itself for that task? In all of these points, the youth has responsibility towards today and future, but how can they achieve that unless they have a concept, program and means? All of this is to strengthen the hope of the future and to enhance the Christian existence in the east, including Iraq, and to maintain its entity and its rich inheritance which is rich for humanity. For the sake of the Christian future we work, and from the inheritance of the Eastern Christianity we set off. 6

7 CAPNI and Syrian Crisis: With the on-going conflict in Syria which seems to be an Open End crisis in terms of time (Nobody knows when it will end) and in terms of shape (Nobody knows how it will end), the humanitarian crisis is increasing and more and more people are suffering and fail to get the minimum of the basic daily life needs. Hundreds of thousands are forced to be displaced within the country seeking security; other hundreds of thousands are seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Iraqi Kurdistan region had received around 130 thousand Syrian refugees. The majority of them are been sheltered and supported in Domiz refugees camp in Fayda Dohuk. CAPNI, despite being a small humanitarian organisation with limited resources from our German network is trying to reduce the needs and to support. Thanks to Diakonie (Germany) and ELKB as throughout their kind support we were able to: provide the Domiz Syrian refugees camp in Dohuk with food baskets and hygiene kits. deliver the missed medicines, baby food and milk from Iraq to Qamishly and the region of Khabour inside Syria. In addition to provide food baskets for the neediest families in Qamishly and Khabour. The very important and helpful step was to visit Qamishly in person and to establish direct contacts to the local implementing partners: Christian Relief Organisation in Qamishly, and Assyrian Public Council of Khabour, two initiatives that started after the crisis to deal with the humanitarian crisis. They are good organized entities with qualified people of good will, mainly doctors and educated persons who are working as volunteers. We supported them in a pilot project and was very good implemented and documented. This encouraged us to extend the cooperation. Diakonie, Christian Relief Organisation from Qamishly and CAPNI We managed a three partners meeting in Urfa Turkey. The outcome was a Diakonie support to Qamishly. Kawergosk camp for Syrian refugees in Iraq: Domiz camp is over occupied and doesn t have the capacity to receive more refugees. In addition, the social and economic impacts of such numbers of increasing refugees upon Dohuk hosting community must be considered. Therefore, the latest waves of refugees are been sheltered in Kawergosk camp in Khabat nearby Erbil city, governorate of Erbil. Kurdistan Regional Government KRG is planning to install more camps, if needed, to host the increasing numbers of refugees. For the Kawegosk camp, KRG had allocated ,00 $ to deal with this humanitarian crisis. In addition, it expects another ,00 $ from Iraq Central government. UNHCR is providing the shelters. Hosting community is contributing through relief items campaign collecting and distributing mattresses, blankets, kitchen kits, etc CAPNI as registered and active local organization is in contacts with the authorities to follow up the situation. 7

8 CAPNI was approached to contribute to its capacity in supporting the refugees. Thanks to Diakonie who supported CAPNI to provide a hygiene kits and basic food baskets for 2400 families in the camp. Closing word: While keeping its mission to support Iraqi Christian Assyrian community through different programs, CAPNI is trying its best to support the Syrian suffering people in Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan. We keep our commitment to share and give hope for the helpless people. CAPNI committee October