Funds from the large-scale Danish Collection on January 29 will go to displaced and Corona-affected children in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
Help the children of the Corona crisis. This is the theme for this year’s Danmarks Indsamling (Danish Collection), which culminates in a major TV show on the national television DR1 on Saturday evening, 29 January 2022.
The collection, which last year raised more than 120 million DKK, goes to the world’s poor through Danish aid organizations. One of these is Mission East, which will ensure water, sanitation, hygiene and education for 5,000 Iraqi children and young people in the city of Kirkuk, all of whom have had to flee terror from ISIS.
They are also suffering from the corona crisis. Refugee camps are closing, families are losing jobs and income, and schools are worn down. Poor hygiene conditions spread infection and disease and children, in particular girls with disabilities, have difficulty coping through a whole school day.
With money from Danish Collection, better sanitary conditions are ensured at 10 schools in Kirkuk. 80 youngsters learn to produce soaps and are trained as “hygiene ambassadors” for their peers. Both students and staff get to practice good health habits. Toilet and washing facilities are being renovated.
Iraq has not yet recovered from the terror of the Islamic State, which (since 2014) sent 6 million people fleeing homes, fields and businesses. The number corresponds to the entire population of Denmark. According to the UN, 2 million are still displaced, and in a city like Kirkuk, 185,000 people are in deep distress.
The corona crisis has only added to the distress. The risk of infection and the closing of society especially affects those who are already vulnerable: the displaced, the children, the girls and the people struggling with a disability. These are the ones that Mission East’s fundraising project will help.
