STEP-IN BLOG
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SEPTEMBER UPDATE- OUR WORK WITH POLISH AID
September saw the conclusion of our latest project with Polish Aid. Through this project we provided ongoing primary healthcare, the delivery of chronic medications, and a COVID response consisting of mask production and an awareness programme!
Read more here
MASK-MAKING AND MORE!
Who can make, wash, and iron nearly 10,000 face masks in a single week? STEP-IN can!
Our latest coronavirus response project consists of a secondary awareness campaign and the production and delivery of reusable facemasks to displaced populations in Kaznazan, Erbil, and Dawoodia Camp and Sharya village, Duhok.
This project is only getting bigger, and, in regard to possible incoming waves of coronavirus. PREPARATION and INFORMATION are key!!
SPRING IN IRAQI KURDISTAN: 2 weeks of GREEN!
Beyond the doom and gloom of our current international situation, STEP-IN’s Lucia Pedulla writes about the coming of Spring in Kurdistan.
The blooming hills and valleys, the flights of swifts and swoops of swallows, and the beauty of the region at this time of year.
APRIL SUMMARY
Our April summary! Quarantine and coronavirus won’t stop us from providing quality healthcare to our beneficiaries!
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CORONAVIRUS: The Current Situation
At the time of publication, there are a total 1233 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Iraq and 69 deaths have been linked to the virus. 1000 cases have been identified in the past two weeks. There are 312 confirmed cases in Iraqi Kurdistan. All land borders are closed and in-country checkpoints have introduced temperature checks. Various roads between outbreak points are impassable and the Directorate of Health has recommended travel restrictions in and out of camps which has impacted residents employment, ability to buy supplies and food, attend medical appointments and purchase/ collect essential medications. As yet, there are no confirmed cases in refugee or IDP camps.
For a more comprehensive view of the current situation…
The Displacement Paradox – Iraqi Kurdistan
Selma Azzubair, former HandSAP coordinator for STEP-IN, returns to our blog following her voluntary work in Northern France. She shares with us her insight on Iraqi Kurdistan as a paradox of displacement, a region acting both as a safe haven and a place of departure for refugees and displaced people. Her insight reaches both into the history of the region and her own experiences.
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MARCH SUMMARY
Another summary of our accomplishments this month!
Although restrictions on healthcare services and general movement around the region have limited STEP-IN this month, we continue to push forward as much as we can. For much of this month our team has been adapting our services so we can continue to provide for our most vulnerable patients.
Further plans for a coronavirus response in camps in Iraqi Kurdistan are being put in place.
INTERVIEW WITH DR. ANMAR
STEP-IN’s dynamic duo, Ash Davies and Lucia Pedulla (proposal writer), interviewed Dr Anmar. STEP-IN’s resident doctor at the physiotherapy centre in Erbil. Dr Anmar also works at the General Hospital in Qaraqosh and has given us the low-down on the situation there, as well as his advice surrounding coronavirus and #stayingsafe.
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HEART-TO-HEART WITH HERSHEY
A little insight into the life of our Dawoodia Field Coordinator, Brenda Hershey!
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FEBRUARY SUMMARY
It’s time for our February summary! Stay up-to-date with our monthly progress reports (and challenges) and help us continue with our vital work by donating to STEP-IN.
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DISABILITY IN DUHOK: A Practical Day for HandSAP
There is very little cultural and societal awareness of disability in Iraq. PWDs (persons with disabilities) experience extensive discrimination and face multiple barriers that hinder their effective participation in society. Most children with intellectual and physical disabilities do not attend school and there are limited facilities available to support them. Most children living in camps are only able to attend school every other day as there are not enough teachers, or large enough schools, to facilitate them.
Our HandSAP team has had the privilege of helping one boy in particular. Read this piece and support our work!
A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME: THE ORIGIN OF ‘STEP-IN’
To step in when discrimination and conflict affects people’s access to healthcare. To step in when those in need are unable to obtain or afford essential medicines or surgeries, and to step in when politics, sectarian division, and histories beyond any individual’s control infringe upon their rights and well-being.
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FACTS OVER FEAR: Coronavirus In Kurdistan
Coronavirus has quickly become a household name. Confirmed cases have reached 47 countries on 6 habitable continents, and as with every outbreak and ‘epidemic’ we have experienced over the past few years, panic and saturated media coverage has ensued.
It is incredibly important that clear factual information is distributed to the public, without the use of fear-mongering, click-bait tactics.
More than 80% of coronavirus cases are mild, our concerns in Iraq and Kurdistan lie with the large population of vulnerable people (including the elderly, those living with chronic conditions, and those living in camp environments where viral transmissions would be near impossible to control).
Read further for up-to-date information on the current situation in Kurdistan, our top tips for viral prevention and myth-busting information. At the same time, learn about the dangers of fear and panic in healthcare emergencies.
2020 VISION: Our Hopes for the Future. Pt 2
The Cafe is an ongoing proposal for a social project! A sustainable, ethically-run coffee shop, training and hiring marginalised people and acting as a home-base for further social and community-based projects.
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2020 VISION: Our Hopes for the Future. Pt 1
Over the past 5 years it has been STEP-IN’s heartbreaking privilege to witness and listen to the stories of the people we work with. Stories that hold unimaginable importance in today’s climate of hate and intolerance and document a history that must never be forgotten.
In 2018 STEP-IN staff members worked alongside journalist Ivanna Rudakevych to collect 11 individual stories. The true stories of four Yazidis, four Christians, and three Muslims, recounting their persecution and escape from the 2014 ISIS expansion.
This year, STEP-IN hopes to publish these stories in the form of a book.
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NEW BEGINNINGS
A quick numerical summary of our work through January!
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HandSAP: A HISTORY
Here at STEP-IN we are acutely aware that a person’s health and/or well-being can never be improved entirely through medical or biomedical means, especially in locations experiencing such complex crises such as Iraq. As such we have extended our projects to address the holistic nature of health. Our HandSAP program helps people with complex or expensive health issues fund, locate, and attend their treatments. Find out more about the origins and need for our program here!
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A WEEK IN THE LIFE: MOBILE CLINIC
In 2019, the STEP-IN mobile clinic allowed:
8,074 patients to be seen by a doctor.
563 patients to receive mental health consultations.
1,463 physiotherapy sessions to be performed on-site.
And 1,755 patients to be referred to our laboratory for further testing.
The clinic currently visits 4 different locations every fortnight. The trusty Toyota transports tables, chairs, portable heaters, batteries, medication for up to 100 patients, administrative equipment, hundreds of ongoing patient files, laboratory equipment, and up to 9 staff members!
Phew…
BATTLES WITH BACTERIA
Antibiotic resistance is one of the world’s most pressing public health issues. Referred to in the global health sector as ‘the silent tsunami’, resistant bacteria is already the cause of over 720,000 deaths each year.
In many Middle-Eastern countries antibiotics are available over the counter and antibiotic misuse is prevalent not only in the general population but also in the healthcare industry.
Take a look at our experiences with antibiotic resistance and how we are aiming to tackle the problem in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Meet the team: Lucia Pedulla
Lucia worked with STEP-IN for an intense six months, managing HandSAP and setting up our physiotherapy centre. Now, she continues to support our work. Get to know here here!
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Meet the team: Dr. Martina Partelova
Dr. Martina has been with STEP-IN through thick and thin since 2016. She was also one of the first to manage HandSAP. Get to know this amazing woman and caring doctor in this short interview.
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It started with Raghda
She was one of many that had to flee from the largest Christian city in Iraq, Qaraqosh, when ISIS came in. Despite this terrible experience, she remains strong and believes that once her home city is rebuilt, it will be more beautiful than ever before. Raghda was the very first local employee of STEP-IN.
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When the world calls you
The first reason was to find out about the problematic in the Middle East, especially the refugees and IDP’s. I wanted to see it with my own eyes and make my own opinion. In Europe people seem to have a very negative opinion about this problematic.
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Lisa’s Journey to Iraq
Lisa is a young doctor from Ukraine. She started to work for STEP-IN in January 2017. It was a hard decision for her to come to Iraq. She had to quit her job, leave her home country, and head towards the unknown. Now there is no one in STEP-IN, that could imagine these 5 months of the project without our Lisa.
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