On March, 16th, 2006, UN-HABITAT, with funding provided by the Government of Japan through the UNDG Trust Fund, started work on the rehabilitation of 44 houses for poor families in the Al-Ansar Neighborhood in the City of Najaf. The rehabilitation works are being carried out by a small local contractor under the supervision of UN-HABITAT national consultants. The start of this project means that UN-HABITAT now has an active housing rehabilitation programme in 5 Iraqi Cities: Baghdad, Basrah, Samawa, Najaf and Kirkuk. An assessment of the houses revealed many problems, including structural deterioration, the lack of proper sanitation, non-functioning plumbing and electrical fixtures, missing and/or deteriorated doors and windows, and a generally insecure and unhygienic living environment.
Photograph Showing the Housing Conditions in Najaf to be improved under the Project Iraqi Children in Najaf who will benefit from the housing rehabilitation project
The project is being carried out with the active participation of the Municipal Authorities in Najaf, the local communities and the beneficiaries. A Community Participation Committee has been established to work with UN-HABITAT Consultants on the selection and prioritizing of the beneficiary families, the detailed assessments and the planning and implementation of the housing rehabilitation works. The rehabilitation of the 44 houses is the first phase of a project to rehabilitate 500 houses for poor families in the City of Najaf and is being carried out under a UN-HABITAT programme (which started in 2004) to improve the lives of vulnerable Iraqi families who have faced a severe deterioration in their living conditions because of poverty, conflict and insecurity, compounded by a lack of access to basic services, infrastructure and employment opportunities.
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