ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil’s locals gathered Wednesday evening for a food festival in order to raise money to support internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing to the Kurdistan Region.
“We are here to help the IDPs who fled ISIS,” said Mohammad Fareed, 17, a high school student from Erbil who volunteered at the event.
This is not the first time Fareed has given his time to help IDPs. Last August, he and some friends brought food to the Debaga camp outside Erbil. “I just want to help,” he said.
The event was set in Shanadar Park in Erbil. Over 60 families donated home-cooked food, enough to feed approximately 400 people. Each plate of food cost 5,000 IQD (around $4.25) and the money raised will be donated to IDP camps in the Erbil area.
The event was hash tagged #LetsStartHealing on social media, a reference to the Muslim Eid holiday Eid, a central aspect of which is giving to the less fortunate.
The coordinator of the event was Rawa Azad Barzinji, an Erbil native who devotes the majority of his time to activism and helping the needy from the ongoing refugee- and IDP crisis.
“Helping them is my passion,” he said. “I know their needs, and how they are suffering.”
Barzinji was impressed with the number of people who came to the event. “I am absolutely amazed by the turnout,” he said. “It gives me so much inspiration to keep doing more.”
Hasia Mahmud, a chemist who was previously living in London, came to the event because he believes fundraisers such the food festival are a great way for the community to become more involved with the Region’s humanitarian crisis.
“I love charities and I love food,” he said with a smile. “I hope there’s more to come.”
The governor of Erbil, Nawzad Hadi Mawlood, was also in attendance to join in the community’s support for the IDP crisis.
“The important thing is the idea,” the governor told Rudaw when asked about the impact the community’s initiative will have.
He was particularly impressed with the involvement of so many youth from Erbil. “With the youth getting involved like this, it’s a beautiful thing,” he said.
Muhammad Sarkawt, from Dar Kurdistan Engineering and Construction, was a sponsor of the festival. He echoed the sentiments of so many others in attendance. “They need our support,” he said, “and we need to support them. They’re not from here and they need our help.”
The Kurdistan Region is hosting nearly 2 million IDPs and refugees. According to the UN, 25 percent of the population of Erbil province is either an IDP or refugee. In other parts of the Region, IDPs and refugees make up almost 50 percent of the population.
