* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In Iraq, the internal sectarian conflict has displaced over 2.9 million people since 2006, including the 1.8 million fleeing their homes following the 2014 attacks by armed opposition groups in Anbar and Ninewa provinces since January. In addition, over 215 000 people have fled the violence in Syria to find refuge in Iraq. Of the 107 500 Syrian refugee children of school age living in Iraq, only 35% are receiving an education.
To address this challenge, the EU Children of Peace initiative is supporting the French NGO Triangle to provide primary education for 250 Syrian refugee children between the ages of 6 and 11 as well as psycho-social care and educational activities for 150 children between 3 and 18. The project particularly focuses on reaching children in urban areas where access to services is extremely limited and providing them with a safe space. Special courses are helping children to improve their knowledge of the Kurdish language and catch up on classes lost due to the conflict in Syria so that 35% of them are able to join public schools by the end of 2014.
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