The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has approved funding of $600,000 for Mercy Corps, a leading global humanitarian agency, to deliver emergency relief to families impacted by the ongoing conflicts in parts of Iraq.

The funding will be used to help Mercy Corps implement humanitarian programmes in urban areas affected by fighting and instability, namely, Anbar and Baghdad provinces and ‘Central corridor’ zones including Salah El-Din and Kirkuk provinces, said a statement.

In the last month, escalated fighting has forced an estimated 132,000 people to flee their homes within and around the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

The funds from this grant will allow Mercy Corps to conduct immediate relief activities for those displaced, including providing cash transfers to families to meet their basic needs.

Hassan Al-Damluji, head of Middle East Relations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: “Human suffering and displacement in Iraq have intensified to an alarming level. Iraqi people are running out of safe havens, and as fighting continues so does the need for humanitarian support.

“This grant will help Mercy Corps to provide cash transfers to vulnerable households to meet urgent needs for food, water, shelter and critical medical care in some of the hardest-hit areas.”

Steve Claborne, Iraq country director for Mercy Corps, said: “Many people are constantly on the move as fighting breaks out near their homes and temporary shelters.

“When families reach a safe location, they arrive scared, hungry and tired, with almost nothing. Thanks to support from the Gates Foundation, we can continue delivering urgently needed emergency supplies to thousands of vulnerable people besieged by war and suffering.”

Guided by the belief that all lives have equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty, said the statement.

Over recent years the Foundation has expanded its work in the Middle East, partnering with other donors and development institutions in the GCC, it added. - TradeArabia News Service