3 Ways USAID Is Giving Hope to Iraqis Returning Home After Being Displaced by ISIS

Stories of resilience and restoration of religious and ethnic minorities in northern Iraq

Left: External view of the Bartella Cultural Center in Bartella, a town in northern Iraq. Right: Father Yacoub (back) admires the new features of the rehabilitated hall of the Bartella Cultural Center with Dr. Samir Lasso (front), head engineer of the Bartella Reconstruction Committee. / USAID

For thousands of Iraqis who fled their homes during the ISIS occupation, returning to rebuild their lives and communities can be difficult.

Beyond the emotional challenges of returning despite having lost possessions and loved ones, their once-vibrant communities are still rehabilitating basic infrastructure such as roads and street lights, and businesses that were destroyed or shuttered are trying to rebuild.

However, with USAID’s help, Iraqis are returning to restore the hearts of their communities.

Bringing Light to Bartella

Before ISIS, the Bartella Cultural Center was a place for community members of all faiths and ethnicities to come together and celebrate important events, from weddings to school plays. The center and its neighboring Syriac Orthodox Mar Shimoni Church have always been the cornerstone of the community, a role that has only become more important as displaced families started returning to the area.

“Before ISIS, there were 3,000 Christians living in Bartella,” recalls Father Yacoub, priest of the Syriac Orthodox Mar Shimoni Church and chairman of the Bartella Reconstruction Committee (BRC).

“They’re looking for help. People’s hope is in the church. We have provided support, and rehabilitation efforts have been delivered through the church.” -Father Yacoub

Left: Rooftop delivery of the Bartella Cultural Center’s HVAC system by crane. Middle: A volunteer from the Bartella Reconstruction Committee puts the final touches on the Central Hall at the Bartella Cultural Center. Right: The final result of the rehabilitation efforts of the Central Hall. / USAID

Since 2017, USAID has been supporting rehabilitation efforts in Bartella, including rebuilding homes and schools and installing street lights. Over the past year, USAID has worked with the BRC to rehabilitate the Bartella Cultural Center.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays to the work, the center is expected to officially open next month.

Father Yacoub remains hopeful for the future:

“We want things to go back to normal. We want people to live peacefully together as before.”

Durable and Dignified Livelihoods for Yazidi Returnees in Sinjar

As security conditions slowly improve, displaced Yazidis are returning home to Sinjar after five years of painful displacement. But upon returning, they are reminded of the horrific reality that they fled: houses looted, families torn apart, and communities once teeming with prosperity left in ruin.

Rambosi, a small village in Sinjar, was formerly home to 400 families. Now, Mr. Saeed’s family is one of 80 that have returned so far. Together with his wife and five children, he is working to rebuild their lives after years away. Due to the remote location of the village, it has been difficult for assistance to reach the area. However, returnees are doing their best to rebuild despite depleted personal resources and a decimated local economy.

USAID partnered with Preemptive Love Coalition, a local organization, to provide one-on-one business support for returnees like Mr. Saeed to establish durable and dignified livelihoods.

Brick by brick, Mr. Saeed works to slowly rebuild his destroyed home in Rambosi, Sinjar. / Chemonics, USAID

Mr. Saeed, who has been working as a day laborer despite suffering from a chronic illness, hopes this support from USAID will soon enable him to open an electrical shop in Rambosi. The new shop will allow him to continue to earn a steady income and contribute to rebuilding the local economy without depending on work as a day laborer.

Cash Assistance for Community Resilience

The district of Baiji, home to Iraq’s largest oil refinery, endured several major battles during the ISIS occupation, causing residents to flee for their lives.

Before the conflict, Ahmed, 32, had a thriving produce shop. When he returned, only piles of rubble remained where houses and buildings once stood. His own house was partially destroyed and is no longer structurally sound.

With support from USAID’s partners in the Cash Consortium for Iraq, Ahmed’s produce stand is flourishing. / USAID

After returning, Ahmed worked tirelessly as a day laborer to put food on the table. Some nights he and his family would go without food because he could not find work. When Ahmed received cash assistance from the Cash Consortium for Iraq (CCI) in December 2019, he was grateful. Now his family could start improving the quality of their lives beyond just bare survival.

USAID supports the CCI, which delivers critical financial support to vulnerable, conflict-affected households in five governorates so they can purchase food and essential supplies, or develop their own livelihoods.

Ahmed decided to invest some of the funds into restarting his business. Since reopening in July, Ahmed’s business has flourished. With his new income, he has diversified the range of fruits and vegetables he sells, and has been able to repay all his loans.

Now, Ahmed is starting to think about how he can use his business to help others in his community who continue to struggle:

“I remember what it was like to not have anything to eat. I want to find a way to give back to my community.”

Since 2017, USAID has supported over 26,000 vulnerable, conflict-affected households with cash transfers through CCI, as the organization’s largest donor. Prior to COVID-19, monthly cash transfers were delivered to eligible households for one, two, or three months depending on each family’s level of need. Now during the pandemic, a one-time cash transfer is distributed to all eligible households to simplify distributions and limit the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

About the Author

Clara McLinden is the Senior Development Outreach and Communication Specialist for USAID’s Mission to Iraq.