Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) has provided funds to purchase 870 tents for IDPs in Shekhan camp in Duhok Province, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia has decided to provide the cost of the replacement of the tents.
On Monday, October 10, 2022, BCF President Musa Ahmed and the Armenian Consul General Arshak Manoukian signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) according to which the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Erbil allocates $24,070 to cover the cost of replacing 870 tents for IDPs in Shekhan camp in Duhok Province.
The BCF president noted that the fund provided by the BCF for the purchase of the tents is $217,500, bringing the total fund for the project to $241,570.
Mr Ahmad thanked the Republic of Armenia for its assistance and said “the Armenian Consulate has conducted other projects in the camp and we should thank them, especially in this situation that there are still more than 35 refugee and IDP camps across the Kurdistan Region.” Armenia has not forgotten the Kurdistan Region and the refugees despite its unfavourable situation, and has previously had other joint projects with the BCF, he said.
The head of the BCF said that the monthly food aid provided by the Iraqi Ministry of Migration to IDPs has been interrupted for more than six months. He hoped that all parties would come together and support the BCF to help the refugees and IDPs.
“The Kurdistan Regional Government has made its utmost efforts to serve the refugees and IDPs, but this is a difficult task and requires assistance from donor countries, international organizations, UN agencies and other organizations to continue with us,” he said.
Mr Arshak Manoukian, the Armenian Consul in Erbil, said that Armenia is a very small country with a limited budget and the country is undergoing a difficult situation due to the war with Azerbaijan, but we felt the need to provide humanitarian aid to those in need. “Today we sign a contract with Barzani Charity Foundation for the implementation of the project of Shekhan IDP camp,” he said while extending appreciation to the BCF for their immediate response to the idea of supporting the project of replacing the old tents of the IDPs in Shekhan camp.
He said the signing of this contract would serve as a signal to encourage other foreign organizations to continue their humanitarian aid to the refugees and IDPs in the Kurdistan Region while many of them have interrupted their aid.
He also mentioned that they have provided school bags and stationery to students in the camp. Also, the consulate helped 42 orphans in Shekhan camp by giving each of them a cheque to meet their needs, he said.
The tents of the Shekhan camp in Duhok province have not been replaced for more than five years. The population of the camp is 644 families ( 3,190 individuals) will benefit from this project.
