Double Your Impact: Raise $50,000 to Combat Iraq’s Environmental Crisis

Iraq is facing a devastating environmental crisis that threatens millions. With your help, we can empower Iraq’s young activists to take on this challenge and fight for a healthier future. Every dollar you give will be matched, doubling your impact.

The Challenge

Iraq faces an environmental crisis that puts lives, ecosystems, and livelihoods at risk:

• Gas flaring releases toxic pollutants, causing respiratory illness, cancer, and other chronic diseases in areas like Kirkuk and Az-Zubayr.
• Water scarcity and pollution threaten farming communities, putting livelihoods and food security in jeopardy.
• Illegal dumping and habitat destruction degrade ecosystems vital to Iraq’s recovery from decades of conflict.

Unchecked, these problems harm millions of people and contribute to global climate change.

The Solution

At EPIC, we believe that Iraq’s young environmental leaders hold the key to a healthier, more sustainable future. With your help, we can empower them to:

1. Raise Awareness
   Iraqi activists will educate their communities about the dangers of gas flaring, water pollution, and habitat destruction through reports, podcasts, and public campaigns.
2. Engage Citizens
   Working with groups like the youth-led Shaghaf Team and Iraq Waterkeepers, we’ll provide activists with training and resources to mobilize their communities and push for impactful policy changes.
3. Strengthen Environmental Governance
   EPIC will support Iraq’s environmental leaders as they work with government and civil society to secure stricter regulations, better enforcement, and accountability for environmental harm.

How We’re Getting Results

EPIC’s approach is community-centered and evidence-driven. By partnering directly with Iraq’s youth and civil society organizations, we address urgent challenges like environmental degradation and weak governance. Our strategy includes:

• Rigorous field research to provide reliable data for advocacy.
• Leadership development to empower young activists.
• Advocacy support to help local leaders drive systemic change.

Ali Kamil’s Story

Ali Kamil, a young leader from Iraq’s Ninewa region, exemplifies the power of this approach. Through EPIC’s training and mentorship, Ali led an advocacy campaign to restore education access for over 1,000 displaced and vulnerable students in his community. His evidence-based proposal has reached Iraq’s Ministry of Education and is under consideration at the national level.

This success demonstrates what’s possible when local leaders are equipped with the tools to create meaningful change. Just as we empowered Ali to address education challenges, we’re using this same approach to tackle Iraq’s environmental crisis.

Your gift ensures these courageous activists have the resources to fight for clean air, safe water, and a healthier future.

Why It Matters

This isn’t just an Iraqi issue; it’s a global threat:

• Gas flaring and climate change: Fugitive methane emissions from Iraq’s oil fields are 84 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years. Tackling these emissions contributes to global climate mitigation.
• Human rights: Pollution from gas flaring and water contamination disproportionately harms Iraq’s most vulnerable populations—women, children, and minorities.

Your support helps protect Iraq’s people and environment while addressing a pressing global challenge.

How You Can Help

Our goal is to raise $25,000, which will be matched by generous donors to reach a total of $50,000. Your donation funds field research, public awareness campaigns, and advocacy efforts. Every dollar makes a difference:

Here’s what your donation can do:

• $25 produces educational materials for local communities.
• $50 supports a youth volunteer’s involvement in the project for a month.
• $100 covers the cost of one day of field interviews and data collection.
• $750 funds a podcast episode that will reach thousands across Iraq and beyond.
• $2,500 organizes a workshop for environmental experts and advocates to present solutions for the flaring problem.

Join Us in Making a Difference

Iraq’s environment and its people deserve better. Together, we can empower a movement that addresses immediate threats like gas flaring and builds a sustainable future for all.

All donations received by EPIC via all channels until midnight Dec. 31st will count towards our goal. You can avoid fees by paying directly through our GoFundMe campaign or by mail at:

EPIC
1140 3rd St. NE, 2nd Floor,
Washington, DC 20002

Thank you for your support!