NRC's Operations In

FACT SHEET June 2018

NRC’s operations in

Iran Photo: Marjan Jesmi/NRC

Humanitarian overview NRC’s operation

For the past three decades, Iran has hosted one of the We aid, protect and provide durable solutions to dis- world’s largest, most long-term populations of displaced Afghans in Iran, where we work to preserve and placed people, with around 3.6 million Afghans and over expand the asylum space and improve their access to 28,000 Iraqis. basic humanitarian services. We collaborate with our Af- ghanistan operation to close gaps in the overall regional Just under half of the Afghan population in Iran is doc- response. umented – either registered as refugees or with valid visas. But it’s difficult for them to maintain their legal In the aftermath of the earthquake in the Kermanshah status. Rising annual renewal fees makes it costly, while province, we provided emergency relief like shelter and job opportunities are scarce. Meanwhile, undocumented cash assistance to help people survive through extreme and newly arrived Afghans are at risk of deportation and weather conditions. prone to fall victim to abuses.

The Iranian government’s support for Afghan refugees has outweighed that of many aid organisations. It has granted access to some public health services and education for all Afghan children, including those with- out civil documentation. Undocumented families with children in full-time education are not subject to depor- NRC Iran tation. Established 2012 Iran is a disaster-prone country, struck by frequent earth- International staff 7 quakes and floods. In November 2017, a major earth- National staff 52 quake affected the lives of 270.000 people. 2017 budget USD 5.5 million Total number in need 3.9 million people Total assisted in 2017 50,076 people

www.nrc.no NRC Iran Country office Tehran

Areas of operation Kerman, Semnan, Qom, Alborz, Tehran, Razavi Khorasan, Hormozgan, Kermanshah

NRC Iran Phone: +98 21 8806 6173 Country director: Olivier Vandecasteele Address: 27–29 East Daneshvar Street, Shiraz Square, Email: [email protected] Mollasadra, Tehran

Education Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA) By law, all Afghan children must have access to school, Our ICLA teams support displaced Afghans living in Iran irrespective of their legal status. However, many so- with exercisisng their rights and overcoming obstacles cio-economic and cultural barriers remain. Our teams: related to legal residency, identity and civil documentation. Our experts: • offer accelerated learning programmes to out-of- school children so that they can join their peers in • provide information and counselling the formal education system • provide cash assistance as a protection tool to • offer literacy and numeracy courses to children and enable greater access to available services adults • inform Afghans who want to return to Afghanistan • offer extracurricular activities, like art classes and about how to access identity and civil documenta- game-based education tion and available services, so that they can make • support the formal education system by building informed decisions and rehabilitating schools and classrooms including water sanitation and health facilities Livelihoods and food security • equip classrooms with essential education materials Our livelihoods and food security teams explore ways to • offer certified training for youth in life skills, English, improve refugee and displaced families’ livelihoods, fos- computer technology and photography tering their social and economic status in Iran. We also provide emergency cash assistance to people affected by natural disasters. Our specialists:

• distribute cash cards to cover basic household needs • offer trainings in nutrition and home economics

www.nrc.no • collaborate with our education teams to offer Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH) certified vocational training for young refugees in It’s vital that displaced people have access to potable tailoring, construction, vehicle repair, and office water and can practise proper sanitation and hygiene administration routines. Our WASH teams: • run workshops on income generation and distribute toolkits and grants • distribute hygiene kits and provide training on good • conduct labour market assessments to design new hygiene practices projects and maximise our impact • collaborate with our shelter teams to construct and upgrade latrines and hand-washing facilities in Shelter and settlements public spaces, as well as in shelters We want displaced Afghans, as well as people affected • provide semi-public shower-latrine units in remote, by natural disasters, to live in safe and suitable condi- deprived areas with high concentrations of people tions. We focus our work to address housing deficien- • collect and drain standing water in communities to cies. Our shelter teams: improve sanitation conditions • provide and maintain sewage treatment plants • enhance earthquake safety standards and pre- • improve access to safe and drinkable water for paredness refugee host communities and those affected by • construct and rehabilitate shelters and public natural disasters infrastructure, including playgrounds, power supply networks, and community centres • construct and upgrade houses and latrines,along with our WASH teams • distribute household items and prepare people for winter • provide training on basic construction practises and energy saving techniques

NRC Iran is grateful for the generous support from our donors:

Australian Direct Aid SIDA Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM)