ASIA/IRAQ - 65% of Iraqis live in poverty Caritas Iraq assists women and children

Baghdad (Fides Service) - In Iraq where the spiral of violence is never ending Catholic organisations such as Caritas Iraq continue to provide humanitarian aid to people in need. “The number of needy people grows every day and it is hard for Caritas to meet so many requests for assistance”, says Nabil Nissan ofCaritas Iraq. “In this situation of widespread violence it is difficult for people to get medical care and very often supplies of medicine, food, other humanitarian aid never reach the centres and people for whom it is meant because of corruption and stealing”, he says. Today 65% of Iraqis, (13 million out of 24 million) live in conditions of extreme poverty, they have nothing to live on and need continual assistance to survive.
In the present situation in Iraq of insecurity and social problems, such as increasing drug abuse, growing numbers of street children, Caritas has intensified its activity with 14 fully operative Caritas Iraq centres in various parts of the country.
One important Caritas project is Well Baby Programme WBP which provides medical care and food supplies for mothers will young children many of whom suffer from malnutrition. This year the WBP has been extended to include 8,300 children and by the end of 2006 it hopes to bring the number to 10,000 children mostly living in rural areas. Besides the Well Baby Programme, Caritas runs a water purifying programme which supplies about 400,000 Iraqis with safe water. In collaboration with local state health structures and the Red Crescent Organisation, Caritas also supplies basic medical care and medicines to 6,000 people. Emergency aid is also needed in the humanitarian tragedy in war-torn Iraq. In 17 state and private Centres Caritas distributes food kits and basic necessities to families and other vulnerable categories of people. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/3/2006 righe 29 parole 303 )