Iraq - IOM Iraq is conducting a cash distribution today for over 100 recently displaced families living in Baghdad governorate. This is the fourth cash distribution to take place this month. All of the beneficiaries are from Anbar governorate and were displaced within the last two months by continuing violence in and around the city of Ramadi.

Including today’s distribution, over 300 of the more than 700 families who will benefit from the cash have already received their grants of IQD 435,000 (USD 360).

The cash distribution project is funded by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO). Each distribution was attended by a Baghdad provincial council member. Assessments for selected recipients are being carried out by IOM staff, in collaboration with local authorities.

Identified as some of the most vulnerable of affected populations in Baghdad, these families are living in informal camps, collective centers, sub-standard and unfinished buildings, and in shared apartments. Different families have specific needs.

An increasing number of displaced families are characterized as highly vulnerable – they are either newly displaced or have suffered multiple displacements. Cash distributions enable recipient families to spend money on their priorities, including household items, shelter, clothing, health care and income generation.

IOM staff spoke with Hadeel Mohammed, who was displaced from Ramadi in June. “After my husband was killed by ISIL, my three sons and I were displaced to Baghdad. Now we live with relatives. We are five families crowded together. My relatives try to provide for all of us. I do not have a source of income – with this money I will buy clothing for my sons. We try to forget our grief.  My sons are all that I have now.”

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: “Humanitarian needs are rising in Iraq as violence and displacement continue. Cash distributions provide essential assistance to displaced people and allow them to use the funds for their own most pressing needs: including rent, health care costs, or supplies for their families. We look forward to continued cooperation with our donors and humanitarian partners to continue to provide this flexible means of humanitarian assistance.”

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) has tracked over 3.1 million Iraqis displaced since January 2014. Over 525,000 individuals (87,500 families) are in Baghdad governorate. Baghdad hosts the second largest displaced population (17 per cent) by governorate, after Anbar governorate.

Displacement in Baghdad increased by over 14,000 individuals from early June to early July. Since the beginning of April 2015, over than a quarter million people have been displaced from Anbar. The significant increase of displaced people in Baghdad is primarily due to the ongoing hostilities in Ramadi and surrounding areas in Anbar governorate.

For more information, please contact Sandra Black at IOM Iraq, Tel: +964 751 234 2550, Email: sblack@iom.int