By Patricia Stakem | Executive Director
When Protection, Education, and Care Come Together
Ali and Mustafa were 15 and 16 years old when their lives nearly changed forever. Stopped at a checkpoint while riding their older brother’s motorcycle, narcotics were found hidden inside the vehicle. Within minutes, both boys were arrested and facing serious criminal charges. But they were not drug traffickers. They were children.
Because of you, an ICF-funded Street Lawyer met them before their statements were recorded. He listened. He investigated. He presented evidence showing the motorcycle belonged to their older brother, who had knowingly used them to transport drugs.The truth came out. Their brother confessed. Ali and Mustafa were released.
In 2025 alone, our Baghdad Street Lawyers completed 961 legal cases, including 466 legal representation cases and 366 cases helping children obtain legal documents required for school and benefits. Without legal protection, children like Ali and Mustafa can be swallowed by a system they don’t understand. With it, they are given back their future.
From the Street to the Classroom
Mousa is a Hope Bus student known for his perseverance. After his father passed away, he quietly disappeared from class. Our social workers discovered he had started working on his father’s cart to support his family. Instead of losing him to child labor, the team intervened. Mousa continues to receive:
Daily nutritious meals
Educational support
Clothing and humanitarian assistance
Ongoing family visits
In 2025, across our three Hope Buses:
151 children attended in full or part-time capacity
36,000+ nutritious meals were provided
80% avoided child labor
95% obtained legal documentation for school enrollment
The Hope Bus is not just a classroom. It is prevention against trafficking, exploitation, hunger, and despair.
A Safe Space for Girls to Rise
Sidra, 16, once feared she would never pass intermediate school. English and mathematics felt impossible. After enrolling in tutoring and psychosocial sessions at our Mubdiat Girls Center in Mosul, her confidence grew. She passed her exams. She advanced to secondary school. She now believes in her future.
During Q4 2025 alone:
402 girls received learning support at Mubdiat
165 girls received psychosocial support
768 recurring services were delivered
Strong community outreach increased registrations and parental trust
These centers do more than tutor. They protect girls from harassment, early marriage, school dropout, and gender-based violence while building resilience and self-worth.
Small Steps. Growing Strength.
At our disability clinic in Fallujah, 13-year-old Huda received care through our Mobile Medical Clinic. Living with congenital cerebral atrophy, she struggled with muscle weakness and balance. Through medical treatment, home-based exercises, and continued follow-up:
She can now sit longer.
She has better limb control.
She smiles more.
She engages more confidently with her family.
In 2025, the disability clinic provided:
880 medical consultations
470 psychosocial support services
821 physical rehabilitation services
557 Mobile Medical Clinic services
2,748 total services to children
Behind every number is a child regaining dignity.
Why This Works
Our programs work because they are integrated.
A child is not just a legal case.
Not just a student.
Not just a medical file.
We combine:
Legal protection
Education
Nutrition
Psychosocial care
Disability services
Long-term follow-up
Since program commencement:
3,109 children have received legal protection
2,705 children obtained critical legal documents
1,803 children were saved from child labor and abuse
800+ children have been nourished and educated on the Hope Buses
And in 2025, 87% of donor dollars went directly to Iraq programs.
Because of You
Children were released instead of imprisoned.
Girls advanced instead of dropping out.
Families found support instead of despair.
Children with disabilities received therapy instead of isolation.
Your support does not fund “a program.”mIt protects childhood. And it gives Iraqi children something many have never had before: A fair chance.
Links:
By Liz McRae | Chief Operating Officer
By Patricia Stakem | Executive Director
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