---
title: "Cash assistance: Providing a choice"
description: "NRC has provided cash assistance in some of the world’s most challenging contexts for a long time. In Iraq, NRC has through the support from ECHO become one of the biggest cash providers for people in need."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/news/2016/august/cash-distribution-in-iraq"
language: "en"
published: "2016-08-05T10:36:49Z"
modified: "2016-08-05T11:32:53Z"
---

![“Unconditional cash assistance enables the most vulnerable households affected by conflict and displacement to meet their most basic needs in a flexible and dignified way. It also helps families to recover from the crisis faster,” says NRC’s Cash Project Manager in Iraq, Madeleine Kingston. Photo: NRC/Becky Bakr Abdulla ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/iraq/nrc-cash-distribution-in-iraq.jpg)

# Cash assistance: Providing a choice

Becky Bakr Abdulla|Published 05. Aug 2016

[Iraq](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=68) [Cash and voucher](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=138) [Donors and partners](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=143) [War and conflict](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=308)

This article was first published more than 10 years ago

NRC has provided cash assistance in some of the world’s most challenging contexts for a long time. In Iraq, NRC has through the support from ECHO become one of the biggest cash providers for people in need.

“Unconditional cash assistance enables the most vulnerable households affected by conflict and displacement to meet their most basic needs in a flexible and dignified way. It also helps families to recover from the crisis faster,” NRC’s Cash Project Manager in Iraq, Madeleine Kingston says.

Internally displaced Sadye (55), who is a mother and a grandmother, has received much needed cash assistance from NRC. Sadye and her family are originally from the conflict affected Anbar province in Iraq. Like many other civilians in the country, Sadye has suffered huge losses due to the ongoing conflict which has left around 10 million civilians in need of humanitarian assistance.

![Mother of four and a grandmother to 11 grandchildren, Sadye (55) has received cash assistance from NRC. Photo: NRC/Becky Bakr Abdulla ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/iraq/sam_2062.jpg)

### Lost everything

In addition to losing her home and her livelihood as a former farmer, Sadye lost one of her children to the war in 2008. Her son had sold some of the family’s cattle and was walking home carrying the money from the sale when he was taken by force by members of Al Qaida. He never returned home to his mother, his wife Asmaa or to his four young children.

Asmaa (35) and 11 other family members were also injured when they got stuck in the middle of heavy crossfire during the last year’s fighting between ISIS and government security forces in Anbar.

“I don’t know anything about our future, we have no plans, but I hope my children will finish school and have families of their own one day,” she says.

![Asmaa with her daughter Isra (16) and her sons Tahir (11) and Bariq (9). Photo: NRC/Becky Bakr Abdulla ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/iraq/sam_2055.jpg)

### Managed to escape

In July 2014, Sadye and Asmaa managed to escape the fighting together with 23 other family members.

“We only had the time to bring our identity cards and the clothes we were already wearing,” Asmaa says.

Today, the two women and the rest of the family live in a rented house in Baghdad close to the border crossing over to their home governorate of Anbar. Although located only minutes away from the frontline where the armed conflict is still ongoing, Sadye and Asmaa have managed to keep the family together and create a new home. With the support from [ECHO](http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en "http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en"), NRC has provided them with cash assistance which they have chosen to spend on paying their monthly rent.

“To begin with, we thought we had to beg on the streets, we had nothing. Then we received support from the people living here in addition to the cash assistance,” Asmaa smiles.

Click [here](http://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/humanitarian-aid/cash-and-vouchers_en "http://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/humanitarian-aid/cash-and-vouchers_en") to learn more about humanitarian cash assistance.

*This article covers humanitarian aid activities implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the European Union, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.*