PIN provided support to 388 people living with disabilities in the north of Iraq

Published: Jun 26, 2016 Reading time: 3 minutes
PIN provided support to 388 people living with disabilities in the north of Iraq
© Foto: PIN Archive

Nazir Yousef was born in Duhok in 1970. He has three children aged 12, 15 and 19 years old. When he himself turned 19, he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, like many other rheumatic diseases, is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints. Over the years, his condition has continued to deteriorate. He is no longer able to walk, and uses his arms to move around.

Prior to the deterioration of his condition he used to work as a taxi driver. Since the mid-90s, however, he has not been able to work and has struggled to provide for his family. They used to live in a rented house, but since losing his job and no longer being able to pay the rent, he and his sons have moved into his brother’s house. His brother’s home now houses 10 members of their extended family.

Despite his brother’s generosity, it is uncomfortable for them to live together. His brother covers the entire costs of the two families, paying for food, water and electricity. Nazir feels like a burden on his brother.

At the time when Nazir might have considered surgery, it was well beyond the family’s means. After a number of years living in his difficult condition, he visited a doctor in Turkey. The doctor advised that he would need two surgical operations, the total cost of which would be $50,000. Nazir’s wife had also previously suffered serious health problems. She had required kidney surgery, which had cost $1000. To cover the cost of this surgery many of their relatives helped and gave what they were able. The thought of finding and paying $50,000 was unfathomable.

Despite living in a great amount of pain, Nazir has not been taking any medication for some time. He explained to People in Need that, ”Even when I was taking medication, it cost a lot of money and there was no relief, so I simply stopped taking it.”

People living with disabilities are some of the most marginalized and excluded groups in any society and this is not the exception in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq today, where opportunities for participation in the community and access to services and care for long-term conditions are scarce. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is currently facing a severe economic downturn due to the emergence of the Islamic State in 2014 and the collapse in oil prices. The economic downturn has inhibited families such as Nazir’s who, prior to the downturn, were supported by the Government of Kurdistan through subsidies.

PIN has been working in the north of Iraq since 2010, and has been supporting the most vulnerable families through cash assistance, shelter, education initiatives. Understanding the vulnerability of people living with disabilities in the region, PIN distributed $250 to 388 people in Dohuk, having assessed their capacity to work and access to income in order to identify the most critical cases.

Nazir was very appreciative of PIN’s financial support. He chose to spend this $250 on food and home supplies, seizing the opportunity to provide for his extended family.

It was with the support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationalle Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), via a German Alliance2015 partner Welthungerhilfe that this assistance was delivered. 

Autor: PIN