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A young Chechen child in a refugee camp.

Facts on Chechnya
-At least half of Chechnya's pre-war population of 1 million people is now displaced or dead
-Unemployment in Chechnya is as high as 85%
-Up to 84 percent of children in the Chechen Republic have health problems
-Entire Chechen population was deported by Stalin during World War II, and was finally allowed to return home in 1957
-Estimated 500,000 landmines in Chechnya, and up to 10,000 mine victims
-Security is still a major concern - around 3,000 people have disappeared in Chechnya to date

Conflict & Division
The conflict between the Russian Federation and Chechnya has claimed over 100,000 lives and left towns and cities in ruins. More than 350,000 people fled the country. Those remaining in Chechnya endure crushing poverty and difficult living conditions. Hundreds of thousands of Chechens have sought refuge in the neighboring Republic of Ingushetia. They endure squalid, overcrowded conditions in temporary settlements, tent camps or with host families. They lack basic food, medication, clean water and sanitation as well as endure severe winter temperatures. Housing for most families returning to Chechnya consists of Temporary Accommodation Centers. Furthermore, with the republic's infrastructure in ruins, health and education services are limited. Unemployment in Chechnya runs as high as 85% and the vast majority of the population lives below the poverty line.

Islamic Relief in Chechnya
Islamic Relief was one of the first relief agencies to provide aid to Chechnya and has been working in the Northern Caucasus since 1995. Currently Islamic Relief works in villages across the Nazran region in Ingushetia as well as in and around the area of the Chechen capitol Grozny. Islamic Relief provides food, clean water, shelter and primary medical care. The situation in Chechnya remains uncertain, but Islamic Relief continues in its effort to help the Chechen people survive.

An Example of Islamic Relief's work
The continuing conflict in Chechnya has brought destruction and insecurity, and as always children are among the worst-affected. In war-torn Grozny, most of the buildings have been reduced to rubble – including the schools. Students struggle to learn in the ruined shells of their schools. Nine-year-old Iman Tcadaeva is one of these children.
"I lost my parents during the war and I miss them very much. Our family used to live in a village, but in 1996 my father disappeared without a trace. So now I have to live with my aunt in Grozny," Iman explains. "I usually get up at 7 o'clock. Classes begin in the afternoon, so I help my aunt around the house and prepare my homework before going to school. It's hard to do my homework in the evenings as the electricity is often turned off so I have to study by candlelight. In the evenings my friend visits me and we sit on the bench and dream of our future together."
 
Iman attends School 37 in Grozny. "Our school was destroyed; there was no glass in the windows. Very often my friends and I were ill." There were also no doors, no gas or electricity and no running water. To most people the school looked derelict, but the children continued to attend as they had no alternative. Blankets and pieces of wood were used instead of windows and doors, while plastic was used instead of glass. Since there was no water supply the 563 students had to fill their own water bottles and bring them to school. Instead of central heating the school used an old gas stove and the lack of electricity meant the children had to work by candlelight.

Islamic Relief rebuilt School 37 with a budget of $105,000, partly financed by a partner organization, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. All the doors and windows were replaced. The collapsed roof was restored, new toilets were put in and central heating was installed throughout the school.

At the start of the school year, School 37 re-opened and the children were finally able to study in a clean and safe environment. The school now has 48 classrooms, in addition to a gym and cafeteria. The number of pupils attending almost doubled to 1,100 and there are now 45 teachers.  Iman is pleased with the results. "Now the school is repaired and it is nice and bright. I like the repaired school very much. We go to school every day and it has become my second home. In future I'm going to be a doctor to cure people from different diseases, and there a lot of sick people in our town now."

Click here to read the article on Chechnya: Komsomolskaya's New School