Mercy Corps: As Mosul Fight Ends, Recovery Is Just Beginning

"Nearly every building on the western side of Mosul was completely destroyed. With this level of devastation, it's very unlikely that the hundreds of thousands of displaced families will be going home anytime soon," says Arnaud Quemin, Interim Country Director for Mercy Corps in Iraq. "This is a critical moment for Mosul. Helping the people who fled the fighting is only the first step on what will be a long road to recovery."

"Nearly every building on the western side of Mosul was completely destroyed. With this level of devastation, it's very unlikely that the hundreds of thousands of displaced families will be going home anytime soon," says Arnaud Quemin, Interim Country Director for Mercy Corps in Iraq. "This is a critical moment for Mosul. Helping the people who fled the fighting is only the first step on what will be a long road to recovery."

Mercy Corps is providing cash distributions of $400 US per family. Cash assistance is the quickest and most efficient way of helping because people can buy what they and their families need most. Since July 2016, Mercy Corps has helped more than 12,000 families impacted by conflict around Mosul.  Mercy Corps team members working to deliver humanitarian assistance hear harrowing reports from the people they are helping.

"Everyone we meet tells us about family members they've lost, or who have been wounded," says Quemin. "For many people, their homes have been destroyed and they tell us they have nothing to go back to. With the cash from Mercy Corps they are buying food and household essentials to help set themselves up in new homes."

Mercy Corps has operated continuously in Iraq since 2003, providing assistance to 5 million Iraqis affected by war, violence and displacement in all 18 governorates. Currently the organization is addressing the needs of people affected by conflict, including refugees from Syria, displaced Iraqi civilians and Iraqi host communities.

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