Ben Irwin What really happens in an emergency response?
Usually aid groups only show you a small part of what goes on. Smiling kids, boxes of food… that’s about it.
But there’s so much more to each aid delivery, especially in a war zone.
There are the people who risk their lives to protect us and the trucks filled with food and hygiene kits—a dangerous job, especially in remote parts of Iraq where ISIS militants still launch deadly attacks.
There are the local officials who welcome us into their homes and communities, who help us identify the greatest needs and prioritize the most vulnerable families—because local problems need local solutions.
There are the seemingly un-camera-worthy moments: hours of driving through featureless desert, long waits at security checkpoints, and more.
And then there are the simple, easily overlooked moments without which none of this would be possible: the city official who opened his home to us at night, the local volunteers who worked all day in the hot sun to make sure everyone got a share of food.
This is a behind-the-scenes look at one of our most recent aid deliveries, in a remote part of western Iraq called Rutba. This is the part you normally don’t get to see—how the aid you provide makes it into the hands of the families who need it most.
Join us on the road to Rutba.
Read more about the people of Rutba and how you showed up for them here.
