Pregnant mothers and young children suffer particular hardships and health risks as a result of the instability and displacement of the war. Electricity shortages, insufficient clean water, deteriorating health services and worsening living conditions have led to a doubling of the child mortality rate since 1990. Chronic child malnutrition has reached 21% of the population.

The Iraqi Red Crescent’s Well Baby program aims at caring for mothers, children and pregnant women, identifying malnutrition cases and treating them through the provision of nutritional supplements. Iraqi Red Crescent volunteers also help oversee in the Poliomyelitis immunization campaigns organized by the Ministry of Health. In 2006, volunteers surveyed 248,400 children out of which 222,060 were vaccinated.

The Iraqi Red Crescent secondary health care program operates a pediatric hospital and an obstetric and gynecology hospital in Baghdad and an obstetric and gynecology hospital in Wassit governorate.

Mothers and children also benefit from the Iraqi Red Crescent community-based health program, which include a wide range of disease prevention and health promotion activities like promotion of breastfeeding, school health and psychological support.

The Iraqi Red Crescent makes every effort to meet the special needs of the internally displaced children and pregnant women through its emergency relief assistance program, which includes distribution of relief aid, provision of suitable shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, health services, psychological support, and arrangements for schooling, vocational training for women and recreational activities for children of different age groups. The Iraqi Red Crescent reports (July 2007) indicated that 41.4% of Internally Displaced People were children less than 12 years of age and 31.2% were women.

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