Amman, Jordan — June 25, 2008 — On June 25th, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan highlighted the work that IRD does in partnership with the Jordanian Red Crescent (JRC) and the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF), the Jordanian NGO of which she is the president, at UNHCR’s annual gathering of NGO Partners in Geneva.

Opening the conference, the Queen spoke about the groundbreaking UNHCR and U.S. State Department-funded programs that have provided primary and psycho-social health care services to tens of thousands of Iraqis living in Jordan. The conference provides an opportunity for NGOs to engage in dialogue with UNHCR regarding global trends and priorities in refugee and IDP assistance, discuss best practices, and compare lessons learned over the past year. Representatives from over 300 NGOs from around the world attended the conference.

As Iraqi refugees in Jordan tend to live in urban areas, it has been hard for aid organizations to identify and reach them. In fact, prior to last year, little was known about the numbers, much less the needs, of this secretive refugee community.  In 2006, most organizations tasked with providing assistance to Iraqis were able to identify and serve minimal beneficiaries as most refugees remained housebound, uncertain of their legal status and fearful of deportation.

In order to better address the needs of this unique population, IRD developed a program that focused on engaging Iraqis in their homes through innovative community outreach programs. In less than one year, IRD trained and mobilized 200 Iraqi volunteers and conducted in-home health assessment visits for over 60,000 Iraqi refugees. Beneficiaries in need of both primary and psycho-social care have been referred to five partnering primary health clinics operated by NHF and the JRC, which in turn have facilitated over 26,000 clinic visits.