The past month has been difficult for Iraq and Iraqis. The deterioration of the security situation impacted all aspects of daily life— not only in the cities seized by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)— but in all regions, including Baghdad where our program takes place. This situation unfolded just days after we parted ways with our four newly hired staff in Kurdistan, Iraq, after which they returned home to Baghdad with our Program Director, Zedan, to begin program implementation. In order to ensure their safety, we had no choice but to formally pause program activities in mid June.
Today, security has improved enough that our staff and partners believe it is safe to resume activities. They point out that security in Baghdad will never really be good enough; for now, it is a reality of day-to-day life. While many constituents weighed in on our decision to move forward, we would not do so without consensus from our staff that this is the right thing to do. This decision impacts them the most, and they all agree that it’s time to march on.
On the one hand, this is tremendously exciting: each of us believes so strongly in the importance and urgency of what we’re doing. The Global Fund for Women has highlighted the increased vulnerability that women in Iraq now face. But on the other, this is a reminder that Baghdad presents us with certain challenges that no amount of planning and determination can overcome. It underscores that in order to do what we’ve set out to do, we have to be flexible and willing to change our minds. No goal or timeline is more important than our staff and program participants’ safety.
We are all aware of the difficulties that lie ahead, in addition to security challenges. We are already dealing with the frustration of disruptive Internet connections, impossibly high temperatures, and limited access to some areas in Baghdad. But we are determined to move on and do our best. We’re inspired and humbled by the tremendous determination, hard work, and resilience that our local staff and partners have demonstrated.
We are grateful to everyone who has expressed concern and support for our program and staff these past few weeks. While we’re proceeding cautiously, we are expecting to make significant progress in the coming weeks. We’ll be meeting the women for whom this program exists and taking our first steps toward sustainable impact. Despite so much uncertainty, we are excited and eager to see our vision come to life. We hope you’ll keep us in your thoughts.
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