​Our cause:

​Iraq is in a state of crisis. Fighting has forced families to flee their homes, their communities, and their livelihoods. While aid agencies scramble to provide shelter and other winter essentials, far too many families are at risk of being left out in the cold. Children can still be found running through muddy camps without shoes. 

​Our goal:

​To deliver winter essentials and soccer balls* to 5,000 Iraqi children and families in need, and in doing so, raise awareness about Iraq as a humanitarian emergency.

​Why soccer balls?

​The needs of children and youth fleeing violence go beyond food, water, and shelter. Every child also deserves a chance to play. They need opportunities to forget the trauma of war and rebuild their lives far from the only home they’ve ever known. In Iraq in particular, few things can make a child happier than the joy of playing soccer.
Soccer not only promotes positive youth development, it’s an international sport that truly unites all Iraqis!

​How are you going to make that happen?

We’re going to make that happen by raising $50K in donations, corporate sponsorships, and in-kind gifts in 50 days to:

• Help fund the emergency aid response of reliable local partners inside Iraq,
• Fill a Boeing 737 with soccer balls and humanitarian aid,
• Creatively use social media to raise public awareness about Iraq as a humanitarian emergency.

Whether you participate in our social media campaign or donate, we need your help to reach our goal of assisting 5,000 vulnerable children and families this holiday season.

Last year, there were three major waves of internal displacement in Iraq:

• In January, conflict among militias and security forces forced more than 400,000 Iraqis to flee their homes
• The spread of the violence, along with ISIS advancements during the summer, displaced another wave of 400,000 Iraqis.
• In August, ISIS forced more than 800,000 Iraqis to flee their homes. Iraq is in a state of crisis.

Fighting across the country has forced families to flee their homes, their communities, and their livelihoods. Roughly half of the total IDP population are children.

While aid agencies scramble to provide shelter and other winter essentials, close to 1 million IDPs need urgent assistance with winter shelter. Children can still be found running through muddy camps without shoes. Temperatures in the region drop to as low as -30°F!

The kurdistan region of Iraq is hosting 47% of the total population of Iraqi IDPs. Baghdad is hosting 45% of the displaced, and 8% are in the southern provinces.

The displacement of Iraqis, however, dates back well before 2014:

• Between 2003 and 2006, after the initial US invasion of Iraq, more than a million Iraqis were displaced as sectarian militias battled for control of certain neighborhoods.
• Between 2006-2008, the civil war raised the total number of IDPs to 2.7 million.
• In September 2012, Iraq’s Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) reported that over 1.3 million IDPs existed in the country

Health and clean water is becoming another hazard facing those who are displaced. For example, Polio, a disease irradicated in Iraq 14 years ago, is now back hunting all these vulnerable people, children in particular.
The needs of children and youth fleeing violence go beyond food, water, and shelter. Every child also deserves a chance to play. They need opportunities to forget the trauma of war and rebuild their lives far from the only home they’ve ever known. In Iraq in particular, few things can make a child happier than the joy of playing soccer.

Soccer not only promotes positive youth development, it’s an international sport that truly unites all Iraqis!