Our primary objective is to provide necessities to Iraqi orphaned and under-privileged children and enable them to become educated by removing barriers and improving the diagnosis and treatment of disabilities such as autism and other learning deficiencies. To accomplish this, we must also empower and educate single/widowed mothers without life preparation for supporting a family.
Iraqi Children’s Hope works in three key areas in Iraq: Mental Health, Education, and Self-Empowerment. Our focus is on orphaned children who, without help, will have no future; we also work with young adults and widowed women to help them achieve the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty.
Our three keys areas are:
In a country suffering from decades of war, political instability, and harsh economic conditions, attention to the health and welfare of orphaned children, especially those with mental health issues, has been neglected. Lack of education in this domain has resulted in the misdiagnosis and insufficiency of treatment of mental health issues affecting many young children. To combat this, we educate childcare professionals, teachers, and parents to recognize symptoms of childhood disabilities and recognize how/where to refer children and families for assistance. We help families develop healthy habits, and we connect them to services available in their communities.
Our focus in education is to remove barriers that may prevent orphaned children from attending school and increase awareness and treatment of mental health issues so that a child can be successful in a learning environment despite those challenges. In addition to providing necessary school supplies and uniforms to orphaned children, we provide supplemental tutoring to improve the child’s learning capabilities further to ensure a successful education.
As stated, our primary focus is on educating orphaned and under-privileged children, but for that to be successful, we must also provide programs for the guardian adults to teach them to be economically successful and educationally supportive. Widowed/single mothers have enrolled in training programs that allow them to earn enough money to support their families. They also learn about mental health issues that impair their children so they may work to counter any challenges.
