Khanaqin Youth Centre is quiet while Adnan, the youth centre manager shows Mercy Hands team around, in the searing heat of August, last year. School is still in session and so the hallways are empty. Adnan is excited by the announcement of Mercy Hands’ new project which will be based from three youth centres: Khanaqin’s, as well as centres in Alsadiyah and Jalawla. Three small towns in Khanaqin district, Diyala. He tells Mercy Hands that they receive very little funding, b

The remarkable journey of kits that crossed continents to empower girls in displacement camps.

In Iraq, this struggle stretches back more than 4,000 years.

Sulaymaniyah, May 12–14, 2025 – Mercy Hands was invited to participate in a national workshop organized by SALAR International, through its partner IRFAD, to support the development of local women’s institutions in Iraq. The workshop focused on reviewing and discussing a guidance document that outlines the roles and responsibilities of these institutions at the governorate level. Mercy Hands was invited not only because of its long-standing work on women’s empowerment project