New playgrounds for children in Nineveh, Iraq

During the last weeks our efforts in Iraq have not stopped, we have been constantly working in full respect of the restrictions and safety rules in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

We have provided food bakets to Nineveh families living in difficult economic conditions and organized awareness campaigns about the contagion risks and how to prevent them. We have also continued the construction works for our community spaces.

The construction works are moving on with the goal to realize 6 community spaces and a new youth center that are all going to be managed in full autonomy by local authorities.

For several years, we have been working to build safe and accessible spaces, meant to be open to everyone but mostly realized for younger generations. We believe children have the right to access these spaces to organize artistic, cultural, educational and sport-related activities, or just to meet there and play together. These contexts are extremely helpful in re-building the social ties that had been damaged during the war.

We have reflected on this topic also in light of the lockdown imposed to Italian citizens.

Walking on the streets we have realized that the limits imposed to children – who couldn’t meet in the playgrounds, cities centers, public parks and open spaces in general – have been one of worst consequences of the lockdown.

For the first time we have really understood the importance that community and social spaces held for children also in our countries.

For this reason are very grateful to have opened 6 public spaces in Nineveh: 3 parks, 1 library, 1 sports field and 1 playground.

Our final goal remains always the same: encourage the dialogues and interactions between the different communities that, before the Daesh’s lengthy occupation of this area, used to live together in peace. This goal can be achieved also through kids’ games and happiness.

Because, it doesn’t matter where they are from, they’re all children of the same world.

Works never stops!