Middle East Development Services (MEDS)
In Iraqi Kurdistan since 1993
Building Community
Through Community
بنیادنانی كۆمهڵگا لهڕێگای كۆمهڵگاوه
بناء المجتمع عن طريق المجتمع
- The relief of poverty
- The advancement of education in the areas of social and cultural awareness
- Healthcare training and engagement
- Economic development
About Us
MEDS is a UK based charity working in community development, training and equipping people especially women, disabled children and young people.
Since coming to Iraqi Kurdistan in 1993 MEDS has been involved in a range of projects including women’s literacy and early learning, income generation and micro credit, community-based rehabilitation (CBR) for disabled children and work with blind and deaf people. MEDS seeks to serve people of all faiths and none.
From 2020 MEDS has been a supporting partner of a programme serving children with special needs and their families. These families have come from the host and displaced and refugee communities in the Kurdish region of North Iraq.
MEDS has also been developing children’s literature in Kurdish dialects to be used within and alongside government primary schools. Since 2022 MEDS has enabled research that considers how conflict has shaped the outlook of people from Iraq and Syria affected by the IS-era.
Our work
MEDS graded readers
Children’s story books in Sorani, Behdini, Shengali and Hawrami Kurdish, used in pilot schools across the region.
Children’s Books for Early Years
Early learning books in Sorani Kurdish, rooted in local culture, to encourage a life-long love of reading.
Children with Special Needs
Supporting a centre in Erbil/Hawler serving around 60 children from host, displaced and refugee families.
Community Health & Medical Education
Partnerships within the local health system, and professional development for healthcare students and providers.
International Mother Language Day
Committed to multilingual education and the preservation of linguistic diversity as a common heritage.
MEDS moving forward
We continue to work in Kurdistan with the permission of the Kurdish Regional Government and in accordance with its UK charity objectives: the relief of poverty; and the advancement of education in the areas of social and cultural awareness, healthcare and economic development in the Middle East.
The opportunities are many
If you would like to understand more about our work in Iraqi Kurdistan, or to find out how you can be involved, we would be glad to hear from you.
Contact MEDS