The stress of living for long, undetermined lengths of time in cramped quarters with little privacy and few personal belongings can be just as distressing as the original event of displacement. In response, IOM Iraq has joined with USAID OFDA to offer psychosocial support to displaced Iraqis.
Since October 2014, IOM Iraq has reached more than 6,000 beneficiaries through the support of three psychosocial mobile teams. IOM Iraq’s psychosocial programme offers individual counseling and cooperative group activities to address the devastating experiences of those who fled violence and lost their homes, livelihoods and, in many cases, loved ones.
As part of this initiative, IOM offered a photography course for 20 displaced youth in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, along with the opportunity to show the world their experiences through a photojournalism exhibition.
The youth chose the photos to be showcased, and through their own words present the situation of Iraq’s most vulnerable displaced. It is their hope, and IOM’s, that those viewing their work will better understand the lives and experiences of the individuals who make up the more than three million displaced in Iraq.