In late 2025, Operation Mercy entered a new phase of the CBR project, focusing on advocacy for people with disabilities in Duhok, with the goal of expansion into Federal Iraq. The project is engaging people with disabilities and their families to identify community needs, priorities, and solutions. Plans are underway to train university students and community members as advocates and changemakers, while staff apply grassroots community development tools to support inclusive, disability-friendly.
The Challenge: Barriers to Inclusion in Iraq In the wake of years of conflict and systemic gaps, people with disabilities in Iraq-particularly in the Duhok governorate and Federal Iraq-face a landscape often defined by invisibility and exclusion. Despite their resilience, individuals and their families frequently encounter three primary hurdles: 1. Lack of Representation 2. Social and Physical Barriers 3. The Advocacy Gap - more trained "changemakers" needed with community-development training
Operation Mercy's CBR (Community-Based Rehabilitation) project is addressing these gaps by shifting the focus from passive assistance to active advocacy. We are equipping the community to dismantle these barriers from the ground up, ensuring that disability-friendly solutions are led by those who understand them best.
We desire to see people with disabilities advocated for - and in a position of self-advocacy. Our goal is to see small, grass-root advocacy projects be started all across the city of Duhok, and eventually all-across Northern Iraq.
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