At the end of September Caritas Czech Republic distributed food packages to 246 families in the Baghdad districts of Karkh and Resafa. The handover was also attended by Deputy Ambassador Petr Rybák.
Each household received 13.5 kg of rice, 10 kg of flour, 9 kg of lentils, 9 kg of beans, 6 cans of tomato sauce, 8 cans of vegetables, 10 kg of semolina, 10 packages of spaghetti, 6 liters of cooking oil and 2 cans of date syrup.
As a result of the long-term armed conflict, 8.7 million people are now dependent on humanitarian aid in the Republic of Iraq. This number is expected to rise to 10 million by the end of 2016.
Almost a quarter of the country faces acute poverty and millions of people have had to leave their homes, making Iraq one of the states with the highest number of internally displaced persons in the world. Almost 540,000 families (3.2 million people), of which more than 97,000 families are located in the governorate of Baghdad, have been displaced.
Although there are many charity organizations in the region, there are still many needs to be met. For example, Caritas Czech Republic, which is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and in cooperation with Caritas Iraq, provides food and support to internally displaced persons living in Baghdad.