Enabling Peace in Iraq Center

WHO WE ARE

During the regime of Saddam Hussein, news reports in the mid-1990s told of a public health and humanitarian crisis in Iraq compounded by comprehensive United Nations sanctions. Children who were dangerously ill could not receive adequate life-saving health care, young people were unable to attend school due to poverty or a lack of basic necessities, and a significant part of the country was malnourished. Iraqis were cut off from the outside world while human rights defenders or others who dared to speak freely were jailed or killed by Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Recognizing the need to act, EPIC was founded in 1998 by veterans of the Gulf War who believe that youth empowerment and a human security approach can make Iraq safe and prosperous again. We brought together veterans, Iraqis, aid workers, doctors, faith communities, and concerned Americans as a grassroots movement took hold. EPIC became a leading voice in the United States, amplifying the authentic concerns of everyday Iraqis and leading the conversation in Washington on the impact of economic sanctions and human rights violations.

Today, EPIC works one-on-one with young people and civil society leaders in Iraq to carry out effective programs, monitor the crisis and inform public policy, enhance understanding of Iraq’s story, and advocate for peaceful change.

WHAT WE DO

1. Impact lives directly through our programs that assist vulnerable families, help children continue their education, and empower young people.

Soccer Salam is our lifesaving program that delivers humanitarian assistance and the joy of play to Iraq’s most vulnerable children and families. Alongside distributions of food, clean water, medicine, winter blankets, and other essentials, we deliver something for the children at each location, including sweets, jump ropes, and – of course – soccer balls.

The Young Iraqi Opportunity Fund will be launched in 2016 to provide grant funding for volunteer projects based in Iraq designed by or with Iraqi youth. Priority will be given to ideas that address gender or minority group inequality, education for internally displaced persons, and the psychosocial needs of children traumatized by violence.

2. Monitor the crisis on the ground to inform better public policy and more effective humanitarian assistance strategies to break the cycle of violence.

The Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor (ISHM) – Our free weekly ISHM service led by EPIC Senior Research Fellow Ahmed Ali provides US and Baghdad-based thinktanks, scholars, aid workers, and journalists with updates on the latest security and humanitarian developments affecting millions of Iraqis and other internally displaced persons in Iraq.

3. Enhance understanding and educate the public so that Iraq’s story can be shared and understood in the United States and around the world.

Our quarterly IRAQ MATTERS Podcast delves deep into a variety of contemporary issues facing Iraq and its development.

The Iraq Speakers’ Bureau enables those who have a close connection to Iraq to share their knowledge of Iraqi culture and the country’s condition with the American public and is a chance to correct domestic misconceptions about Iraqis and refugees. We connect these Iraq thought leaders to local speaking engagements wherever they live to help tell Iraq’s story.

Our Blog has been a reliable voice on development issues in Iraq since 2006. It is a source of information not only about developments in Iraq, but also as a means for EPIC to communicate our views on current events, provide new analysis, explain current programming, and profile the contributions of our partners.