Iraq is not a natural nation.  It is the site of the ancient Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian empires, and its population is made up of many tribal groups.  It has great wealth, particularly from oil, amazing history, large non Muslim communities and many religious sites including Palmyra and Damascus.   Profits from oil were used to industrialize and build a powerful army, until war with Iran halted economic development.  The Gulf War and subsequent decades of UN sanctions have devastated the economy, and impoverished ordinary people.   World In Need has responded to the particular needs of the Christian minority in Baghdad and is providing on-going support through its child sponsorship programme.   Kurdistan   There is a Kurdish saying that says “The Kurd has no friends” - this sums up their experience.  Nation after nation has made promises to them and they are all broken.   The Kurds have fought for survival and a national identity for over 70 years.  Since 1985 nearly 4000 villages and towns have been destroyed, countless fields mined, 500,000 have been deported to distant camps and up to 250,000 killed.   When Saddam Hussein bombed the Kurds in 1991, World In Need sent workers to try to help the refugees as they fled to the mountains. Our help is still there and locals have been trained to manage the work.  Widows are supported, children sponsored and aid given.

Dilveen Shahraf WIN/KD/CH/004   Dilveen is 11 years old.  She lives with her mother, 2 brothers and 4 sisters in a house in the large village of Khanak near the town of Dehok, which is in Kurdistan (Northern Iraq).  Sadly, her father was killed in a car accident some years ago.  After the accident, money was collected for the family so they could build a house in which to live.  Dilveen suffers with kidney problems due to infection, but the rest of the family is healthy, although the mother, Guli Shahraf, struggles to bring up her 6 children alone. Dilveen is a clever girl coming top in her class.  Her ambition is to become a teacher.  With sponsorship she could realise this ambition and her family would have hope for the future.	Dulevan WIN/KD/CH/033   Dulevan is 14 years old.  He and his sister Falah, live in a one room house, cared for by their grandmother, Kocha Qassim.  Sadly, their father died suddenly some years ago, and their mother then deserted them and re-married. Both Dulevan and Falah attend school and are in class 4.  Dulevan’s favourite subject is Kurdish and he would like to train to be an engineer. These children have had such a sad life.  Your sponsorship will ensure that Dulevan can at least continue with his education so that perhaps one day he might realise his ambition.	Nada Piruz Jerdoe WIN/KD/FM/003   Nada and her three brothers live with their mother in a mud house consisting of two rooms.  Sadly, their father died of a stroke in 2005 and their mother looks after her children alone.  Nada was born in 1995 so is now 13 years old.  Her three brothers are Circat aged 14, Pasha aged 12 and the youngest, Sirwa aged 6. The family live in a village called Khanak, which has a population of twelve thousand people and is situated near the town of Dehok in Kurdistan, (Northern Iraq). Nada is in class 6 at school and would love to continue her education.  Your sponsorship would mean that she and her family can have real hope for the future.
Khalid Muamer WIN/IRQ/CH/022   Khalid Muamer is now 6 years old.  This photograph was taken eighteen months ago.  He lives with his parents and little sister Reta, in Baghdad, Iraq.  The family has no choice but to live in the home of the children’s grandmother because they cannot afford to rent their own accommodation.  Khalid’s father has a very low paid job, which is not sufficient to buy food, clothes or medicine for the two children.  The family is in desperate need of sponsorship in order for them to support their children.  Sponsorship would mean that Khalid could go to school and start his education.	Raian Rakan George WIN/IRQ/FM/008   Raian Rakan George's family (on right of the photo) is a good Christian family who have accepted the Lord as their Saviour.  The father works as a carpenter and has a very low income of US$75 per month.  They are unable to pay the rent on the house. For this reason Raian had to leave school and work in a grocery shop in order to earn some money for the family. He has two sisters, Rania on her mother's knee, who was born on 13/2/03 and Shahad on the left of the photo, born on 25-4-96.  Their brother Rami was born on 20-1-01.  Neither Rami nor Shahad are able to go to school due to lack of finance.  Without sponsorship Raian will be unable to return to school and his future will be without hope.  Please sponsor this family.	The Shamuon family WIN/IRQ/FM/031   Fawwaz Shamuon and his family live in an apartment with their grandparents in a very poor area of Baghdad.  Their daughter Tanya is nearly 3 years old, and their little boy David is aged 1. Fawwaz previously worked with the Red Cross foundation.  His contract ceased because of the explosion of the Red Cross building in Baghdad in 2004. He then took up employment as a security bodyguard in the Ministry of the Interior. But unfortunately he has now had to leave this job too as it was becoming too dangerous.  His wife is at home looking after the two small children, so they are very poor indeed.  Your sponsorship will be a great help to Fawwaz and his wife, as they seek to be independent as a family.