Child Protection Iraq Project #52661

Street Lawyers, Doctors, Hope Buses for Iraqi Kids

by Iraqi Children Foundation, Inc.

Project Report | Aug 15, 2024
Let's show up for Iraqi orphans and vulnerable kids!

By Cindy Fogleman | Staff Advisor

A mobile medical clinic for disabled kids

Because of you, every day a lawyer, teacher, social worker, medical staff, and others "show up" for Iraqi orphans and vulnerable kids, including child laborers, girls at risk of early marriage, street kids, disabled children, and kids needing trauma and psychosocial care. Now YOU have a chance to join us in "showing up" for them too!

Join us September 28 for our Global "In Their Shoes" 5K walk/run, in-person in Washington DC or virtually from all corners of the earth!

Join us as we show up for kids like:

Zahra (11)* a Hope Bus student who came to class crying and asking for help for her 15 year-old sister whom the father intended to marry off to a man in his thirties. The sister was desperate and threatened suicide, but the Hope Bus staff showed up for her and mediated with the father - with the help iof a cleric and community leader - until the father backed down.
Hassan (16)* who feel into a deep depression after his mother died, tried drugs and then attempted suicide. He survived but then police arrested for him for drugs. Good news! The Street Lawyers showed up for him and persuaded a judge not to incarcerate him but get him treatment for his depression and drugs.
Zainab (12)* whose mother was arrested and imprisoned 2 years ago for theft, leaving her without family and sent to a homeless shelter. But when her mother was finally released, Street Lawyers showed up for Zainab, giving her legal representation to leave the shelter and be reunited with her mom.
Maryam* and her sister who have mental and physical disabilities and live with a widowed mother. But the staff of the Fallujah Mobile Medical Clinic show up at their home to deliver loving care including medication and other medical items. The younger sister has severe challenges, including needing a feeding tube and being unable to communicate or move. The other sister is able to attend school and loves it.

The Street Lawyers, Hope Bus teachers and social workers, and medical staff faithfully show up for so many orphans and vulnerable boys and girls. On September 28, let's show up for them and the kids they serve! If you enjoy walking or running, join us in-person at beautiful Rock Creek Park in the heart of the nation's capital! If not, join us virtually!

Just SHOW UP!

Your friends at ICF,
Cindy Fogleman

Disabled child gets home visit from mobile clinic

Playing at the Hope Bus is part of learning

Learning about human organs

Studying hard!

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May 14, 2024
An Iraqi girl faces a medical emergency - and you are there for her

By Cindy Fogleman | Staff Advisor

Girls like Sara* studying at the Hope Bus

Today, we give a big shout out to our Hope Bus teachers and social workers! They are so dedicated to the orphans and street children we serve, and are always going above and beyond to provide holistic care and support. So when a medical emergency happens, the teachers and social workers are quick to act!

Sara (11)* was at class on the Hope Bus one day when she began screaming from extreme abdominal pain. The staff acted quickly and took her to the nearest hospital where she was diagnosed with appendicitis. The Hope Bus staff reached out to Sara’s family, explained the emergency situation, and got quick approval for surgery. The surgery was successful and after two days, she was released from the hospital. Now, two weeks later, Sara is well and back in class at the Hope Buses along with as many as 150 girls and boys each day.

Like Sara, Iraqi children are vulnerable in so many ways. Many live in desperate poverty. Some lack official ID documents or transportation to go to school. Others are working on the streets selling water or work at risky job sites trying to support their siblings and a widowed mother. Others are disabled and lack access to support like a wheelchair, medical care or physical therapy. Others are exploited by drug gangs to serve unknowingly as couriers, or by criminal traffickers who target teen girls for prostitution and other teens for human organ trafficking.

Whatever these vulnerable children need, the Iraqi Chilidren Foundation is dedicated to helping as many as we can with medical care, legal protection, education, nutrition, and social services. How do we do it? Because of you and other generous donors who invest in these boys and girls on the margins of society. For that, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Best,
Cindy

PS Happy news! Our kind friends at UNICEF in Iraq donated new clothes to all our Hope Bus boys and girls!

*name changed for privacy

* * * * * * * *

Cindy Fogleman

Staff Advisor

Iraqi Children Foundation - CFC#95191

PO Box 233,Falls Church, VA 22040-0233

Mobile: +703.963.3832

cindy@iraqichildren.org

Time for playing games!

Their smiles say it all!

Wow! Thank you, UNICEF, for a gift of new clothes

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Apr 4, 2024
Iraqi children: In 2023, the Change began with YOU

By Cindy Fogleman | Staff Advisor

The Iraqi Children Foundation's newly released 2023 annual report highlights exciting growth in the range of services and geographic reach of projects benefiting Iraq’s most vulnerable and marginalized orphans, street kids, child laborers, disabled children, and child victims of sex and human organ trafficking.

ICF Chairman David Collins says of the report; “When ICF and its Iraqi partners show up in the darkest hours of a child’s life, the change begins. ICF delivers free legal protection, education, nutrition, disability care, and psychosocial services for children in Baghdad, Mosul, and Fallujah. Too many boys and girls are out of school, on the streets, working as child laborers, and exploited by criminals and traffickers who target them for prostitution, labor, and the sale of human organs. We focus our core investments on high-impact, life-changing interventions for these kids, rather than one-time handouts."

Illustrated by lots of pictures and stories of children, the report features key achievements from 2023:

2023 was ICF’s biggest year ever for program spending, with an increase of 12.24% over 2022.

For the first time in its history, ICF invested in a project in Fallujah, rescuing a clinic serving disabled children from permanently closing its doors. During the first six months, 831 services were provided to disabled children including medical consultations, physical rehabilitation, and psychosocial services.

This was the first full year of operating three “Hope Buses” in Baghdad, with a record 172 poor orphans and street children attending classes either full- or part-time, and an estimated 36,000 nutritious meals served.

In Mosul, ICF continued to support its first successful center for vulnerable girls, and began preparing for the launch of a second center. Many girls were previously displaced by ISIS’ occupation and have returned to Mosul. The center provides critical support to girls experiencing trauma, psychological distress, negative coping mechanisms, and gender-based violence.

The “Baghdad Street Lawyers,” a team of female and male lawyers, handled 547 cases during the year, providing free legal protection for children who are exploited by criminals and human traffickers, abused by employers, or face other risks, and securing critical legal documents children are required to have before they can attend school and access benefits.

We hope you are proud of the change you make possible. How many kids can we show up for in 2024? The answer is up to you!

Gratefully,

Cindy

* * * * *

Cindy Fogleman

Staff Advisor

Iraqi Children Foundation - CFC#95191

PO Box 233,Falls Church, VA 22040-0233

Mobile: +703.963.3832

cindy@iraqichildren.org

Links:

2023 ICF Annual Report

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