Iraq (August 2023) - Rwanga Foundation, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO), is spearheading a project to digitalize crucial data within the Social Security and Retirement departments in Baghdad and the Directorate of Labor in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This endeavor aims to modernize outdated paper-based document management systems, enhancing efficiency and safeguarding information for the citizens of Iraq.

The Social Security and Retirement departments in Baghdad and the Directorate of Labor in KRI serve as vital pillars in the provision of essential services to the Iraqi population. However, reliance on paper-based document systems has resulted in inefficiencies, causing delays and posing security and data loss risks.

Rwanga Foundation and ILO had embarked on a comprehensive plan to digitalize the document archives of the Social Security and Retirement departments in Baghdad and KRI. However, as the project unfolded, unforeseen challenges emerged. It became evident that the situation of documents stored in Baghdad had reached a critical situation, with some files close to being damaged, thus risking the loss of invaluable information.

To address this issue, Rwanga Foundation rapidly recruited a team of 16 staff members in Baghdad. Their mission is to scan and digitize 30,000 out of the 47,000 files within a timeframe of six months.

Moreover, in the KRI, Rwanga Foundation recruited 8 staff members in Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, Halabja, Raparin, and Garmian. In which they work on recording all the files within the Directorate of Labor's "After-Sell Department Service" into an Excel spreadsheet. Upon completion of this phase, the Excel spreadsheet will be handed over to the government. Government employees will then be able to use this digitized resource to streamline workflows and minimize the risk of missing or mismanaged information.