Volunteers rebuild Iraq's destroyed homes one at a time

For more than a decade, Iraq Builders has repaired residences damaged by conflict and climate disasters while also providing education for orphans

Volunteers from Iraqi Builders rebuild a house. Photo: Iraqi Builders

Crowdfunding and volunteers are behind the reconstruction and repair of hundreds of Iraqi homes destroyed by years of conflict and violence.

Although international NGOs continue work to get Iraq back on its feet, home-grown groups are showing the power of local communities.

The US invasion in 2003, followed by the ISIS takeover, destroyed the homes of many Iraqis.

Subsequent corruption and a lack of good governance have resulted in more than a quarter of the population living under the poverty line, with high unemployment, a lack of adequate public services and few opportunities for growth.

Since 2012, the group Iraq Builders has been helping underprivileged families, especially widows and divorced women, by repairing and maintaining their homes with the help of volunteers.

“We have rebuilt 280 homes for Iraqis across the country since the organisation was established,” Zaid Al Khorsheed, co-founder of Iraq Builders, told The National.

The group started with only four volunteers but now has more than 200 members.

In addition to rebuilding and repairing homes, the group also raises money for and distributes goods and food to families in need.

They use social media to fundraise and depend on volunteers to carry out in-person activities.

“The latest activity was handing out food baskets during the holy month of Ramadan,” Mr Al Khorsheed said.

Over the years, the group has expanded to include medical, engineering and educational teams, with the latter primarily focusing on orphaned children, he added.

“The team was distinguished by its flexibility to work, it was helping anyone in need, to find job opportunities and purchase the necessities of a decent life for those in need.”

In 2018, Iraq Builders was nominated for the UAE's Arab Hope Makers Award.

The annual award honours people in the Arab world who dedicate their lives to humanitarian work.

Building homes for single mothers

The journey of Iraq Builders began with Um Abdullah, who contacted the group after heavy rains severely damaged her house.

Her home in the town of Yusufiya was made out of mud and wood, and thus more susceptible to damage from bad weather.

During the heavy rains that year, the roofs of many structures housing the area's poorer families collapsed.

“Umm Abdullah came to complain that the roof of her house had fallen in. She had seven children and her husband had left her,” Mr Al Khorsheed said.

He and his team went to the house to examine it and found she had been forced to moved in with her neighbour.

“Immediately reconstruction began and we found dozens of cases similar to this case. We started collecting donations to building works for the poor across the country,” he said.

The team managed to evacuate flooded houses, create a small local dam and provide shelter for those that lost their homes during the bad weather.

“All the equipment used during the campaigns are bought by donations and the work was done by our volunteers,” Mr Al Khorsheed said.

“Human dignity must be safeguarded no matter the circumstances. There cannot be anyone with a clear conscience who can bear the thought of a mother and child sitting in the street.”

The group calls on “everyone to take up the initiative to help each other”, he said.