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Aid donations for thousands of displaced Iraqis have dropped over the gloval financial crisis. (IOL photo)
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BAGHDAD — Every
morning, Muhammad Raja'a goes to aid workers
at a local Iraqi non-government organization
to get his monthly aid on which his family
depends.
But to his surprise,
he is told that the NGO has no enough aid for
him and other displaced Iraqis.
"They told us
that the economical crisis worldwide would
have a direct impact on their aiding,"
Raja'a told IslamOnline.net on Saturday,
November 22.
"We are
terrified by the possibility of losing their
support which is essential under the high
levels of unemployment and displacement in
Iraq."
A financial
firestorm swept the US in September after the
collapse and financial woes of a number of
Wall Street giants.
The crisis impacted
the flow of aid donations for thousands of
displaced Iraqis, leaving local NGOs
struggling to cope with the demand.
"We believe
that about 40 percent of donations to Iraq
might be cut off," said Mark Campbell, a
London-based economical analyst.
"In fact, out
of record talking's with donors and sponsors
have shown this worry and possible lack in
fund for investments and aid support."
Campbell expects the
aid projects to be the hardest-hit by the
financial meltdown.
"In my point of
view, donations to aid projects in Iraq will
have a great impact on its development,"
he said.
"It will be an
inevitable situation as economical crisis is
already affecting the major potencies
worldwide and as a consequence, those
countries who depend essentially from their
donations, will find affected by the decrease
in support."
Nightmare
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Aid donations for thousands of displaced Iraqis have dropped over the gloval financial crisis. (IOL photo)
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Many local and
international NGOs have already shelved aid
projects for poor Iraqis over the financial
crisis.
"We cannot take
the risk to start a new project without the
certain that we will continue receiving
support for it next year," an official at
the International Committee of the Red Cross
told IOL, requesting anonymity.
"We are aware
that many of these projects are essential for
Iraqis but it would be much worse starting and
leaving it after a couple of month, resulting
in a chaotic situation.
The official says
the Iraqi government has appealed for more aid
support for displaced Iraqi families.
"Although,
under actual economical circumstances, I
believe that not so much can be done and we
will have to watch and fear the probable
conditions that we will have to fight next
year."
The Iraqi government
has sought to get answers from NGOs about
their expectations of aid donations for the
coming year.
"But everyone
just say that have to wait to see how things
will work out under the actual crisis
worldwide, and only after that they can give
us some information about aid support,"
said Waleed Abdullah, senior official in the
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
"We don't
receive direct support from NGOs and donors
but we are cleaver enough to know that the
government cannot cope with the demand alone
and we need their support to give a better
live to thousands of Iraqis."
Sharon Critoph,
communication coordinator of NGO Coordination
Committee in Iraq (NCCI), warns of a
"nightmare" in Iraq over the
dropping aid donations.
"Losing funding
means that the Iraqi population, already
living under very dire conditions all over the
country, will lose a neutral and impartial
support and assistance," she said.
"More problems
in third countries normally means more
problems in richer countries: increasing
migrations, ethnic/cultural tensions abroad
and at home, deteriorations of situations in
key countries that produces wealth, and goods
for the richer.
"Our
recommendation to donors is not to cut aid
money at all as this will have to be paid back
more expensively in the future."
