Children of Erbil

Since the conflict broke out in Syria, there are 4 years, about 220,000 people find refuge in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. In recent months, received the company of close to 2 million Iraqis fled the jihadists. Half of these refugees, over 1 million are children.

Unicef ranked 2014 as a "devastating year" for millions of children caught in the middle of conflicts around the world.

In Erbil, the youngest only know war and violence, a complicated drama, how do you explain Unicef's communication Director, Jeffrey Bates:

"It is an emergency, a crisis for children is normal. For them, what's weird is normal life. What Unicef and its partners are trying to do is to create a normal life for them. A refugee camp will never be a House, but if these children may have places to play, to go to school, to be with friends and family if they can simply be safe, this will give them the opportunity to continue to grow ".

Happy children is a distant dream for many parents, almost a utopia, a refugee from the Yazidi minority:

"There is no future for our children and for us too. The jihadists still control many regions around here. Therefore, we cannot think about the future. Is something uncertain ".

The future also schooling of children, but here, in Erbil, it seems impossible for the Yazidi.

The same observation in a refugee camp for Christians. There are currently close to 4000 vacancies in primary and many more on basics and in high school for the children of Christian families. No school and far from home, the days become long and desperate for these children uprooted. NGO initiatives are not enough to brighten the daily lives of these young people.

"Before, we had our dignity, our home, our school. Here we have nothing, "laments a Bachika.

"Before, we lived better. At least we had school, lived in prosperity. But here, what's up? There is nothing, we have nothing to do, "adds another young girl.

"I want to go home, the Bachika. I want to return, "sums up a girl.

Sign of hope, in this festive season, the inauguration, on 11 December, the first school in the Christian quarter of prefabricada Ankawa in Erbil. The building is part of a programme of aid for refugees from a Christian organization. In total, 8 schools should be installed and will be working in the region until the end of January.

Watch all the interview with Jeffrey Bates, Chief of Communications for UNICEF Iraq

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