Middle East
IRD's ability to start a project rapidly and scale up as needed has become essential to managing a program in conflict or post-conflict areas. This was particularly true in our programs in both Iraq and in Lebanon following the 2006 July War.
Countries
Iraq
Active Presence Since: 2003
Programs: 6
Since the fall of the Hussein regime in Iraq in March 2003, Coalition forces and the Iraqi government have been working to restore damaged infrastructure and basic services while engaging the population in civil government. IRD specifically is currently implementing four programs in Iraq.
The USAID-funded Iraq Community Action Program (ICAP) assists community action groups, or CAGs, to articulate needs and mobilize resources to solve problems, local government to better meet these needs, and civilian victims of conflict. By involving Iraqi citizens in determining their own priorities as well as empowering them to communicate those priorities and mobilize the resources to address them, ICAP is modeling innovative approaches to decentralized democracy and governance in Iraq.
The Community Stabilization Program (CSP) in Iraq is a 28-month program designed to focus local energies toward productive economic and social opportunities and away from insurgency activities. It is a new initiative to jump start economic development and create jobs in specific areas.
Programs
Iraq Mothers and Daughters Empowerment Program
Rebuilding the Iraqi Electrical Grid
Community Stabilization Program in Iraq
Iraq Cultural Heritage Program
Iraq Community Action Program
Cultural Bridges to Reconciliation in Iraq
Jordan
Active Presence Since: 2003
Programs: 8
IRD began working in Jordan in 2003 to support its Iraq operations. Since 2006, however, IRD Jordan has been implementing programs in Jordan and Lebanon to support Iraqi and Syrian refugees and to construct and improve community support for public schools.
Programs
Jordan School Construction & Rehabilitation Program
Outreach Services for Syrian & Iraqi Refugees
Health Linkages and National Networks for Iraqi Refugees in Jordan
Community-Based Support Program
Community Mobilization for Partnership in Schools
Community Based Support for Iraqis
Entrepreneurship for Refugees Program in Lebanon
Strategic Health Support for Iraqi Refugees (SHS)
Lebanon
Active Presence Since: 2006
Programs: 3
The 2006 July War in Lebanon caused nearly 975,000 people to flee their homes at the height of emergency, but most estimate that more than 700,000 displaced persons have returned to their home areas since the ceasefire.
On July 29, 2006, within the first weeks of the hostilities, IRD sent an assessment team to determine how best to respond to the escalating crisis with the help of its local partner, the International Center for Organizational Development (ICOD).
In September 2006, the Department for International Development (DfID), the UK government department dealing in humanitarian aid, awarded IRD a grant to provide assistance to poor rural households in southern Lebanon adversely affected by the July War. The project, which continued for four months, focused on ten small villages in the Tyre District of southern Lebanon and has benefited more than eight thousand people.
Programs
National Initiative for Sorting and Recycling
Emergency Relief and Employment Project
Entrepreneurship for Refugees (EFR) Program
Libya
Active Presence Since: 2011
Programs: 1
Since March 2011, IRD has reached approximately 10,000 beneficiaries in Libya with non-food items, and another 450,000 with medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. We accomplished this by working closely with local civil society organizations, who have been critical in helping IRD understand the needs of and reach the community of internally displaced persons. In turn, the organizations have benefited from the experience and know-how of IRD international emergency experts who provided support for the distribution process.
Programs
Syria
Active Presence Since: 2012
Programs: 1
Syria’s conflict began in March 2011 with public demonstrations of solidarity with the wider “Arab Spring.” It has since developed into a nationwide uprising and civil war. Protesters are demanding an end to 50 years of single-party rule and the resignation of the country’s president. Thousands of refugees have fled the violence, crossing the borders into Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. By June, the number of refugees had reached 180,000, of which about 120,000 are in Jordan. In response, IRD has expanded its outreach services program for Iraqi refugees residing in Jordan to provide quick-impact projects to help affected cities, mainly Ramtha and Mafraq, cope with the large influx of refugees.
Programs
West Bank
Programs: 2
While the West Bank and Gaza are constantly in the headlines, that attention does not mean that residents in this part of the world receive the support they need to build a strong future for their families. IRD's programs here are working to change that, improving roads, water systems, and schools, which will make day to day life that much better for Palestinians.
Programs
Creating Jobs in the West Bank
Improving Infrastructure in the West Bank
Yemen
Programs: 4
Only founded in 1990, the Republic of Yemen is a country in touch with its history. The reported home of the queen of Sheba, Yemen is still strongly traditional, with tribal affiliations causing flares of tension. A rebellion along the country’s northwest border with Saudi Arabia has displaced tens of thousands of people, and recent events have brought al-Qaeda’s activities there to the world’s attention. While Yemen struggles to bring these elements under control, other challenges remain. Only 30 percent of its women can read, and it has one of the highest population growth rates in the world, meaning that scarce resources will only get scarcer.
The Grassroots Theater Initiative (GTI) is designed to bring theater to villages as a means of community mobilization in a country where storytelling is a central part of the culture. Building on the methodology of Brazilian theater activist Augusto Boal, IRD is using plays to reach the heart of local issues and promote community participation and activism, and contribute to increased stability in rural areas of Yemen.
Programs
Increased Access to Potable Water & Improved Hygiene Practices in Yemen
Improving the Health of Vulnerable Communities in Rural Yemen
Community Services and Assistance to Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Yemen
Grassroots Theater Initiative
