From crisis response to gender equality, we support communities throughout Iraq.

CARE International reopened its programming in Iraq in 2014 after a military offensive in Nineveh displaced hundreds of thousands of people into the Kurdish Region of Iraq.

Together with national partners, we deliver humanitarian assistance and long-term recovery support to the most vulnerable populations, primarily in Mosul and other areas of Northern Nineveh.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, CARE Iraq has been adapting its water, sanitation and hygiene, health, livelihoods, and gender activities.

We have delivered awareness messaging through door-to-door visits, text messaging and social media platforms. In addition, health facilities have been equipped with laboratory supplies, disinfectant, and personal protection equipment.

To mitigate and prevent gender-based violence, CARE Iraq has also been providing information on referral pathways and support services available in different regions.

Fast Facts

Population: 41,266,109 (2023 est.)
Life expectancy: 73.45 years (71.58 years male, 75.42 years female) (2023 est.)
Infant mortality: 19.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Under-5 mortality*: 24.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Maternal mortality: 76 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Access to improved drinking water: 100% (100% urban, 97.4% rural)
Access to improved sanitation: 100% (100% urban, 100% rural)
Percentage of seats held by women in national parliament^: 29% (2022 est.)
GDP per capita: $9,000 (2021 est.)

Source: CIA World Factbook, *UNICEF, ^World Bank

Supporting maternal health

Amsha, 25, is a mother of three children – and after a complicated delivery at Al-Shuhada health care center, she left the facility with a 2800g healthy newborn.

“I would have lost my baby without the help of all of the medical staff and I do not even want to imagine how it would have felt for my family members to lose another child, we are really lucky to have this maternity unit in Sinjar, thanks to CARE for their services.”

CARE started supporting the maternity unit of the Al-Shuhada health care centre in Northern Iraq, in July 2019, by providing sexual reproductive health services like ante-natal- and post-natal care, assisting with gynecological and obstetric diseases, family planning sessions and the management of referral cases to other health care centres. Two reproductive health care doctors and six midwives run shifts to make these services available to more than 32,000 people in the region 24 hours seven days per week.

Donate now

Support our ongoing work to create a more equal world.

Your donation can help end extreme poverty and give people the means to build a better future for themselves in countries like Iraq.

For those living in extreme poverty, your support brings education and training, healthcare and clean water, nutritious food, and new ways to earn an income. And in times of crisis, you help us deliver emergency relief. Please donate today.