Iraq: children's resilience

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis there 4 years, 220,000 Syrians have fled here in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. They have been joined in recent months by more than 2 million Iraqis fleeing the jihadists. Half of all refugees are children.

UNICEF said in 2014 "devastating year" for millions of children caught in the conflict trap worldwide. Among them, small Syrians under 5 years. IDPs in Iraq, they grew up with as the only benchmarks war, violence and exile, losing all sense of normalcy.

Jeffrey Bates, communications director, Unicef, Iraq

"What for us is an emergency, a crisis, for them, this is normal. For them, what is strange is normal life. That UNICEF and its partners are seeking to do is create a normal life. A camp will never be a home, but if these children can have places to play, go to school, if they can be with their friends, families and just to be safe, it will help them to continue to grow. "

See their children grow, it is the dearest wish of the Iraqi refugees in the Yezidi minority. Utopia too. "There is no future for our children ... And for us not believe this father. Jihadists still control many areas all around, so we can not think about the future. It is uncertain. "

The future, which also involves the education of children, but here it is impossible

Raphaële Tavernier

"Right in front of me, there was a school, really stuck to the refugee camp. A school in which the Yezidi children do not have access, because here the courses are reserved for children of Erbil priority, but also because they are taught in English and Kurdish refugees and only speak Arabic. "

Even finding in the camp of Christian refugees. It currently lacks almost

4000 primary spaces and more in college and high school for children of Christian families only. No school and away from home, the days are long for these uprooted children. And activities provided by NGOs are not enough to brighten their day.

"Before, we had our dignity, our home, our school. A Bachika, it was not like here. There is nothing here of any "Youssef said. Savio agrees: "We lived better before. At least we had schools, we lived in prosperity. What is there here? There is nothing, nothing is done. " "I want to go home, back to Bachika" says Zina.

Glimmer of hope in this time of celebration, the first prefabricated school opened on December 11 in the Christian neighborhood of Ankawa in Erbil. A building that is part of a refugee assistance program conducted by the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). In total, eight schools spread between Ankawa and the city of Dahuk must be installed and operational by the end of January.