Iraq hosts approximately 343,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, with 88% originating from Syria. Around 82% reside in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Domiz-2 camp, established in 2013 in Duhok Governorate, is home to 10,355 Syrian refugees across 2,205 families. Women and girls represent 50.5% of the population. Of the 3,977 school-aged children (5–17 years), many have lived through prolonged and repeated disruptions to their education, often missing several consecutive years of schooling.

With only four schools serving the entire camp, formal education alone cannot address the scale or diversity of need. Non-formal education programmes are essential, providing safe, flexible, and inclusive pathways enabling women and girls to rebuild learning
foundations, reconnect with formal schooling or vocational opportunities, access psychosocial support to heal from trauma, and participate in safe spaces.

Funding from the ALMT provides 150 women and girls with literacy and language education in Arabic, Kurdish and English. Participants will also engage in weekly handcraft sessions providing practical skills, self-expression, and the formation of supportive peer networks. This establishes on-going psychosocial support, as well as awareness sessions on their rights as a mechanism for self protection instilling advocacy skills for gender equality.

Community-wide activities raise awareness of girls’ education and promote gender equality through weekly sessions and household outreach. This creates a supportive community environment for women’s and girls’ learning and challenges cultural barriers that exclude them from education.