Livelihood grants in urban areas

The latest war in Iraq has hit children hard. Access to healthcare, education and food is limited and the poverty has forced many children onto the streets and into dangerous and work. Some children make a living collecting and selling garbage, shell casings and even land mines. Others are involved in selling drugs, pornography, alcohol and guns. There has also been a huge increase in the number of children involved in sex work. Some children have told us that their own family members forced them into prostitution.

War Child works closely with children in south Iraq to identify the problems and risks they face and the reasons behind them. The greatest threat to these children is the poverty surrounding them. Their families are unable to make money so their children have to support them.

Our livelihoods programme offers training and grants to families so that they can earn money without putting their children at risk. The money they make can pay for food, medicine and school fees. Some of the things that people have used the grants for have been the buying of farming tools, fishing equipment and livestock and this has allowed families to sell produce at the market.