A healthy start for babies born in displacement camps in Iraq
On a late summer morning, Debaga camp is thronged with people. The camp was built to house around 5,000 individuals, but the population has grown to more than 36,000 in less than six months as displacement increases from villages and towns near the city of Mosul. Distinct among the colourful crowd in the camp are […]Chris Niles writes for UNICEF:
On a late summer morning, Debaga camp is thronged with people. The camp was built to house around 5,000 individuals, but the population has grown to more than 36,000 in less than six months as displacement increases from villages and towns near the city of Mosul.
Distinct among the colourful crowd in the camp are three young women wearing pristine white coats and clutching clipboards.
Maisaa, Suha and Muntaha, who live in the camp, are health volunteers supported by UNICEF and the Department of Health. They stop outside the temporary shelter of a displaced family from Mosul and remove their shoes before stepping into the living room. The space is cool and mattresses line the walls. In the centre of the room, a tightly swaddled newborn baby, Ruqayya, sleeps in a wooden crib. Maisa speaks with Ruqayya’s mother about her baby’s health and gives her a pamphlet explaining the benefits of breastfeeding. Then she unwraps the baby’s swaddling clothes and takes her temperature.
