Karbala shrine foundation expands housing and service projects to other Iraqi provinces

BASRA, Iraq — The official caretaker of the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Sheikh Abdul-Majeed al-Karbalaei, said the foundation is committed to extending its housing and service projects to cities in need across Iraq. In remarks published by the official gazette, al-Karbalaei described addressing people's needs as a moral principle and said compassion drives the foundation's on-the-ground assistance. Al-Karbalaei said the foundation is pursuing strategic planning to build housing complexes and service projects in every Iraqi city, with a target of constructing at least 1,000 housing units in each location. He added that negotiations with officials have begun on land allocation in al-Muthanna and Diwaniyah, identified as among the most in-need provinces. He also pointed to the "Sekaleyn City" project in Basra, which targets 3,000 housing units for low-income families and includes an oncology hospital and an autism treatment academy. Al-Karbalaei said the foundation spent more than 45 billion Iraqi dinars on the health sector in 2025 and signed contracts with international companies for local drug production.