In December, IF was awarded a 3,000 Dollar grand from the Workers of St. Alban's Episcopal Church to Help Yazidi Children, orphaned in a mass terrorist attack. On August 14, 2007, the town of Sinjar, situated near the northern Iraqi town of Mosul, was subjected to a coordinated suicide attack. At least four suicide bombers driving fuel tankers packed with explosives raced into the residential areas to maximize the death toll. To date, this attack is considered one of the deadliest in Iraq, killing an estimated 500 ethnic Yazidi, wounding hundreds more, and leaving hundreds of Yazidi orphans in dire need. The conditions for these orphans are grim and little aid or support has reached the sufferers of this great tragedy. Working with the Yazidi Brotherhood and Fraternity League, IF will work to address this pressing situation, and provide these orphans with essentials, such as food, clothing, educational supplies, and toys.

Despite the tenuous security situation in Iraq, IF staff distributed essential supplies to various orphanages and charities throughout Iraq, which care for orphans and mentally handicapped and physically disabled children. Last March, IF held its second charity fundraising event to support our growing humanitarian mission. Thanks to the generosity and support of many individuals and organizations, the Foundation raised 16,000 dollars. With these funds, IF has sourced and delivered thousands of dollars worth of essential items and supplies to a number of charity organizations in Iraq. While last year's distribution focused mainly on Baghdad, this year IF is distributing aid to many more governorates in Iraq.

To date, IF has delivered to several homes in and around Basra, the Future Association for Children of Iraq in Diyala, as well as the Bait Al-Toufil, Saint Hanna orphanages, and the Children Rehabilitation and Education Association in Baghdad.

During the last week of December, IF hosted a workshop in Sulaimaniya to train social workers from the southern Iraqi governorate of Basra on conflict resolution methods and techniques, which address family abuse and conflict with a particular focus on women and children. This workshop is part of a project sponsored by a grant from UNIFEM, which aims to help prevent domestic violence and abuse in Basra and to train 10 social workers on methods to resolve domestic disputes based on personal status laws. With these new techniques, these social workers are projected to help 250 families over a four month periodby either resolving family disputes non-violently or helping protect women and children from harm in separations.