Canadian Funding Enables SEED to Better Support IDPs, Refugees, Host Community

SEED’s urban and camp based centers allow us to provide our clients safe spaces in which to access SEED’s services such as case management, legal services, and mental health and psychosocial support services. The Government of Canada recently has helped SEED to improve the facilities and services at three of our centers. The grant has allowed for the purchase of generators at the soon-to-be open SEED Center Duhok and the SEED Center at Qadiya Camp, as well as the creation of community gardens at SEED’s centers in Qadiya and Chamishko camps.

“This would not have been possible without the generous donation by the Government of Canada. This funding will equip two centers with generators and create two gardens so that we can run our indoor activities without interruption and have safe and enjoyable outdoor activities,” SEED Vice President Tanya Gilly Khailany stated.

These three centers serve a mix of clients including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and members of the host community in Duhok. The Kurdistan Region Iraq (KRI) continues to host 930,635 registered IDPs and refugees (mostly from Syria), according to the most recent situational report in January by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC).

SEED’s new center in Qadiya Camp, is one of four of SEED’s camp-based centers in Duhok, in addition centers in Bersive, Chamishko, and Bardarash camps. Each center serves approximately 600 clients per year of different backgrounds, genders, and ages.

Beyond the soaring summer temperatures, freezing winters, and other challenges of living while displaced, SEED’s camp centers provide safe and confidential spaces for clients to be supported holistically through client-centered approaches with professional and qualified service delivery staff, delivered by mental health experts, lawyers, and coordination with a network of referral service providers.

“We know how hard people’s lives are in camps. We wanted to bring some glimpse of hope for their struggle and offer them a place to relish nature and re-find themselves, while also working to improve their mental health situation and prospect for the future,” Gilly Khailany added. “The gardens were needed in Qadiya and Chamishko camps to complement our comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) that we offer within our centers. In addition, the two generators installed in the Qadiya and Duhok Centers will allow for the activities to run uninterrupted and in good climatic conditions.”

As displacement becomes prolonged with refugees and IDPs increasingly moving out of camps and into the host community, SEED is expanding its capacity in urban areas of the KRI by opening three urban centers in Erbil and Duhok cities. SEED Center Erbil opened its doors on February 15. The Duhok center is scheduled to open this spring. The city centers serve as safe spaces where SEED can better provide quality, holistic mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services throughout Kurdistan.