Iraqis rally to help needy families as virus hits, economy falters

Volunteers with masks and gloves are distributing food packages for needy families all around Iraq, under strict government curfew to contain the novel coronavirus.

Volunteers with masks and gloves are distributing food packages for needy families all around Iraq, under strict government curfew to contain the novel coronavirus.

While the government is still paying salaries and pensions to millions, Iraq’s modest private-sector economy has come to a grinding halt overnight. Iraq is OPEC’s second-biggest oil producer, but is ranked among the 20 most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International. The World Bank says one in five Iraqis lives under the poverty line.

Sensing that relying on authorities would be unwise, young activists, community figures and local religious leaders have come together to try to support those with no income.

Using donations to buy essentials, like lentils, beans, rice and sugar, they pack supplies in plastic bags, talk their way through checkpoints and distribute them across the city.

Mohammad Jabboury, a farm owner in Iraq’s west organizing food distributions and urging landlords to lower rents, expressed a sense of obligation towards those less fortunate.

“It’s our duty to help those in need until God saves us from this pandemic,” he said.

It’s worth mentioning that this work comes based on the directives of His Eminence, the Supreme Religious Authority, Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Al-Husseini Al-Shirazi, for the necessity of helping poor people and their families, especially during this difficult time.