ERBIL, Iraq—A baby’s cry pierces the din as dozens of people wait to see a doctor or nurse at what’s surely one of the busiest health clinics in the Middle East: inside a sprawling refugee camp that’s home to 18,000 displaced men, women, and children.
The clinic’s future is as unclear as that of its clientele.
The facility is just one of several projects Canada is supporting in Iraq as part of its efforts to help those affected by the war against the ISIS terrorist group—help those on the front lines say is desperately needed.
“It’s very important for the people here that they have this clinic and they can get services here,” Azad Murad, a nurse with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said through a translator.
“And it’s really good that the Canadian government helps the clinic, because it is a great help for the people here.”
But as welcome as Canada’s support is, the U.N. and other aid agencies say more is needed from the international community—now and going forward.
“One of the things we are nervous about inside the humanitarian community is once [ISIS] is gone in the next couple of months, the world is going to turn its back,” said Lisa Grande, the U.N’s humanitarian chief in Iraq.
