EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF KHAZAR IDP CAMP

Friday 8th August 2014

During the night of 7th August, Kurdish police forces arrived in the camp, ordering every man, woman and child to evacuate the zone for their own safety before the imminent arrival of the Jihad.

Given the severity of the security threats, TSF has withdrawn from the camp and ceased its actions with immediate effect.

Below, the information on TSF's actions in Iraq before the emergency evacuation:

TSF in Iraq: NGO support & mLearning centre (scroll down for video)

Télécoms Sans Frontières arrived during the night of Sunday 15 June 2014 at the Erbil Airport in the Kurdish capital, some 80km east of the town of Mosul recently seized by Jihadists.

Violent combat in the town of Mosul has lead to the mass displacement of the population of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. According to the UNHCR, there are currently 500,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in transit heading towards the border regions of Kurdistan, most of them without shelter, without a suitcase and without hope.

At the beginning of the mission, TSF’s teams worked in Erbil as well as the Khalak checkpoint and the Khazir refugee camp in the aim of gathering the information necessary to pursue actions amongst the population forced to flee their homes. TSF's mission is focused on 2 main actions: support to NGOs and mLearning centre.

TSF at Khazar camp

NGO support in the field

In the framework of its support to other NGOs, TSF has also trained the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on the use of emergency satellite equipment for their coordination efforts.

 IOM Training                                                                                                                              TSF at Khabat checkpoint

Indeed, one of the purposes of TSF’s mission is to support NGOs on the ground by providing them with equipment that enhances the coordination of their work. TSF has provided IOM Iraq (International Organisation for Migration) with four mobile satellite terminals deployed in the regions of Salah Al-Din, Anbar, Kirkuk and Mossoul, seized by Jihadists, and trained the staff on the use of the equipment.

The terminals allow the IOM Rapid Assessment and Response Team (RART) to transmit valuable data on demand in areas where internet and telephone (including mobile phones) are not in reach. The data that are being transmitted on a daily basis enable the Admin and Logistics support team to plan, act ahead, and provide the support and services which are vital for saving lives in emergency situations and overall meeting the demands of their stakeholders which include the donors, partners and end beneficiaries (IDPs and refugees).

Furthermore, UN agencies also benefit from these connections by using IOM reports as a basis of information for their situation reports, maps and general coordination.

mLearning centre for Iraqi IDP children in the Khazar camp

TSF has set up an extra-curricular education centre for Iraqi IDP children in the Khazar camp.

The centre allows refugee children to benefit from educational activities using digital tablets outside of their schooling. Currently, the centre welcomes 70 children per day between the ages of 9 and 15 years old with sessions supervised by a teacher employed by TSF. The tablets offer fun learning supports and allow the children to stimulate their imagination and pursue their education through specially selected applications providing lessons in topics such as Arabic, English and Sciences.

 Education centre at Khazar camp

TSF is collaborating with the NGO Relief International who provides necessary logistical support given the difficult circumstances on the field.

VIDEO - Inside TSF's mLearning Centre