The first in a queue of dozens of displaced people, Mohammed Sabbar leans forward on his two crutches as he looks at the assistance kits lined up on the concrete yard. Some IDPs there are from other parts of Kirkuk governorate; others, like Mohammed, have come from as far as Garma, in Anbar province. Mohammed’s displacement began in late 2013, when fighting broke out between tribal militias and the government’s forces; then, in mid 2014, ISIL occupied parts of the governorate.

Mohammed and his wife, who is also disabled, live with their three children in an unfinished building in Kirkuk. But it is not free. “I have to pay 200,000 Iraqi Dinars every month,” Mohammed said, “and I can’t really pay that amount. People from the neighborhood help me with rent and some other things.” Six other displaced families live in the same building.

"Living in an unfinished structure is not like living in a house, you know. It has no windows or doors and it is very cold at night. We have to collect pieces of timber, wood, cardboard and whatever other material we can burn in a barrel to keep the children warm.”

The kits received by the beneficiaries include sealing-off materials as well as other necessary non-food items such as mattress, blankets, and towels. The kits were funded by the EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO).

“We do have blankets, but they are not warm enough for this winter… It is good that these kits include blankets and other necessary materials, but the best thing is that they include a kerosene heater that we can use to keep ourselves warm, instead of burning other materials. Thank you very much for providing these kits."