Climate Change

We launched this new pillar in April 2023 to reflect the escalating climate crisis and growing issue of food insecurity in Iraq and Kurdistan. It is increasingly worrying, especially as the country has been named the fifth most susceptible to climate change in the world.

Rising temperatures and recurring drought, large population growth and multiple wars all have serious consequences, especially on vulnerable displaced communities. Climate change also impacts particularly heavily on women and girls, and it has been strongly linked to increased gender-based violence.

Tackling these issues head-on and placing more emphasis on sustainable solutions for land use and environmental adaptations will be one of our biggest priorities in the coming months. Already this year, we have launched two new climate-related projects, and we are actively looking to scale up this work as soon as possible.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTS >

Featured
Earth Sisters
Earth Sisters

Supported by the German Federal Foreign Office in Erbil, Earth Sisters aims to upskill and increase the capacity of women and girls in Duhok on climate change and its links to gender-based violence. 

The project is part of our core Climate Change pillar, which we launched earlier this year, and has seen 50 Earth Sisters trained in order to highlight gender injustices, women’s rights, and crucially, the vital role women and girls can play in climate change response.

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The Lotus Flower School Garden
The Lotus Flower School Garden

Our School Garden at Domiz 2 camp is a unique environmental stewardship scheme, designed to equip 80 children and young people with the skills they need to play a role in changing behaviours and attitudes towards climate change in their communities.

With a varied and diverse botanical zone, the garden has more than 1,200 plants, ranging from ornamental trees to flowers, cacti and fruit trees, and the youths are learning how to grow and nurture plants and vegetables themselves, while receiving educational classes about our precious environment.

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She Leads in Food Security
She Leads in Food Security

As the very first project to sit under our Climate Change pillar, we launched ‘She Leads in Food Security’ in early 2023 to enhance the food security and economic status of IDPs, refugees and returnees in Sinjar district.

The project focuses on climate-smart agriculture and income-generating initiatives, as well as large-scale awareness around issues relating to nutrition, food wastage, food preservation and environmental issues.

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Jam Sisters
Jam Sisters

After launching on International Women’s Day in 2023, Jam Sisters is an initiative that is supporting a small group of female Syrian refugees so they can become financially independent by making jams from local fruits and ingredients.

As an extension of our existing ‘Sisters’ programming, Jam Sisters is a viable food income generation opportunity, while also improving awareness of climate adaptation.

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