Christians in parts of Iraq have been chased out of their towns and cities by Islamic State militants but winter will bring its own set of challenges, warns Aid to the Church in Need.
Writing in The Parliament Magazine, ACN's John Newton and Marcela Szymanski said Christian families in Iraq were "largely unregistered" for international aid and receiving "no support" from the central government in Baghdad.
Instead, much of the provision has come from Iraq's churches, especially in Erbil and Dohuk in the Kurdish region.
They say more than 70,000 were sheltering in church halls, sports centres and classrooms in Erbil. Others are not so lucky and have been forced to sleep in public spaces like parks and car parks.
Iraq's Chaldean Catholic church puts the number of Iraqi Christians displaced at 120,000.
Newton and Szymanski said the EU needed to take action "immediately" to avoid the loss of more lives and the country's rich cultural heritage.
Specifically, they called upon EU policymakers to exert political pressure on the Iraqi government and the governments of neighbouring countries to protect civilians, and appealed for more humanitarian aid via channels other than the UN agencies.
They quoted Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic church as saying: "Many people refuse to register with the UN, they believe that if they stay outside the camps they have more chances to find a job and be quicker to return to their homes once the Nineveh plains are liberated.
"They do not want to depend 100 per cent on aid and the church can support them temporarily in this effort."
Describing the plight of Iraqi Christians, Patriarch Sako said the IS militants had "taken all they had, physically, morally and psychologically".
With the winters in Kurdistan being cold, he said the greatest challenge at the present time was the provision of proper living accommodation.
"The people cannot possibly stay in tents," he said.
Newton and Szymanski said the absence of state support meant the church was bearing the burden of providing food and medical assistance to the thousands of refugees.
They appealed to the EU to "extend its vision of the conflict to the Syrian and Iraqis who happen to be Christian".
The needs arising out of the approaching winter have been recognised by Samaritan's Purse, which has just shipped 80 tons of relief to Iraq to help those who have fled the IS terror.
The shipment includes children's clothing, warm jackets, socks and blankets, as well as 800,000 sq ft of heavy-duty plastic that can be used to insulate tents and shelters.
"Winter is coming. It can be cold," Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham told media at the airlift.
"Many of the refugees when they fled were only able to leave with the clothes on their back and they are not prepared for this winter. So we're doing what we can. We want to get this in the country so we can be ahead of the winter weather."
