Iraq | ASB Foreign Aid

Strengthening the resilience of people in Anbar province | Iraq

The project aimed to strengthen the resilience of the people of Anbar. The aim was to train them to respond better to pandemics or other disasters, and in particular to the negative economic impact of COVID-19. Through training courses and joint planning exercises, participants learned to identify, prevent and overcome risks and to develop strategies for reducing risks.

The project

Project title: Promoting peaceful and inclusive coexistence, livelihoods and economic cycles in Anbar, Iraq – promoting community resilience to COVID-19 in Anbar
Project region: Anbar province, Ramadi district, Fallujah district, Heet district
Project volume: € 250,000
Financing: GIZ
Duration: 01/12/2021 - 30/06/2022
Target group: 3,600 smallholder households in communities in Iraq which are susceptible to disaster, local government staff and community leaders as key actors for disaster risk reduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only a direct and often tragic impact on the health of the Iraqi people, but also a significant economic impact on their livelihoods and prosperity. The preventive measures taken by households and the government’s lockdown measures to combat the pandemic have led to a sharp decline in national economic activity and reduced household incomes. Interrupted supply chains, both internationally and domestically, have caused food prices to rise sharply. In addition, limited access to education, healthcare, transport and other services have seriously affected people’s well-being. The project aimed to alleviate these critical issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic at an individual level and to enable a better response to similar situations and other events in the future.

Photo credits: ASB Iraq
Photo credits: ASB Iraq
Photo credits: ASB Iraq
Photo credits: ASB Iraq

How the ASB is helping in Iraq

Training volunteer mentors for the communities

ASB Iraq has trained 30 volunteers in the municipalities of Ramadi, Fallujah and Heet. The training courses covered topics such as risk management, financial management in households or prevention and awareness-raising with regard to COVID-19. The training courses provided volunteers from different communities with the knowledge and skills to help individuals and communities face economic challenges. The trained mentors are then to educate and raise awareness among community members through interactive training.

Awareness-raising events for community members

A total of 3,719 people from Heet, Ramadi and Fallujah participated in three-day awareness-raising events led by 30 trained volunteers. The aim was to strengthen resilience and capacity to cope with crises and disasters in order to overcome situations of economic instability and to meet the challenges of emerging pandemics. The interactive sessions focused on positive coping strategies.

Together, the participants identified risks and dangers, including those posed by the community itself. Reliable sources of information in emergencies and the importance of community coalitions and neighbourhood assistance were highlighted. In addition to revealing negative coping strategies used by municipalities that have a negative impact on individuals, positive coping strategies and responses to economic crises have also been jointly developed. Additional training covered basic financial management skills for individuals and small businesses, building up financial reserves for difficult times and education on health outbreaks, transmission routes and environmental hygiene.

Disaster risk reduction for municipalities and the city administration

A week-long workshop brought together 51 representatives from the municipalities of Ramadi, Fallujah and Heet. These were representatives of the local governments and members of the city administration. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen their capacity to deal with pandemics and other disasters by developing risk management plans.

During the workshop, not only pandemics, but also other important risks in the respective communities were identified. Strategies and activities were jointly developed to counter these risks. As a result, all participating municipalities were able to develop guidelines and plans for risk reduction and disaster management or to improve existing plans.