Healing through sharing: an outreach project with Iraqi refugee volunteers in Syria

In 2003, civil conflict and war broke out in Iraq, leading to the displacement of millions across the region. This report describes a project initiated by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in 2007 that sought to draw on the skills and experiences of Iraqi refugee women, in Syria, in order to assist in identifying and supporting the most vulnerable refugees in the population. Among the 180 Iraqi outreach refugee volunteers were teachers, doctors, psychologists, artists and others. These women assisted more than 6000 refugees every month, with remarkable outcomes for the community, the aid operation, and their own wellbeing.