Hundreds of displaced orphans celebrate Children’s Day in Kurdistan camp

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – About 400 internally displaced orphaned children celebrated World Children’s Day in the Kurdistan Region, a bitter-sweet occasion with some expressing sadness that their parents were not there with them.

The Kurdistan Region annually celebrates children’s day on June 1st by organizing various activities across the region.

Hassan Sham is one of the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), located in the outskirt of Erbil. It is home for thousands of those who have fled from Mosul and surrounding towns over the past four years, following the emergence of the Islamic State (IS).

There are nearly 400 children in the camp, all of them having lost their parents as a result of events resulting from the jihadist group's 2014 takeover of cities, towns, and villages in northern Iraq.

The Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) organized a special event, with games, dancing, and present give-aways as part of the celebration.

Maryam is one of the children who live in Hassan Sham camp and she questioned the day's importance in the absence of her parents.

“I don’t have my parents with me now. How can I be happy?” Maryam told Kurdistan 24 as she started to cry. “But I congratulate all my friends on this day, and I want to give them presents.”

Ruqiya is another child who participated in the celebration, along with her friends.

“All the members of my family have fallen under a destroyed building in Mosul and they are dead. I have no parents nor brothers and sisters now," Ruqiya said. "I don’t feel happy because I am alone."

BCF is one of the most active organizations among the local and international charity groups that have provided humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of IDPs in the Kurdistan Region.

“We, as the Barzani Charity Foundation, often organize special events for children inside the camps, especially on Children’s day, to make them happy,” Abu Humam, a member of BCF administration in the camp, told Kurdistan 24.

Children have been among the primary victims of the war against the jihadist group in Iraq and Syria, as well as being victimized directly by the group.

Editing by John J. Catherine
(Additional reporting by Zerdasht Hame)