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| Iraq |
| Salvation Army in Iraq |
| 2003-11-25 |
| Info we haven’t seen from one of the really good NGO’s. Never on camera and always there. Unlike, say, the Red Cross. IF you feel that all the news emanating from Baghdad via the main news programmes is doom-laden and dire, then you may be interested in learning of the other face of Iraq rarely seen on your television screen. There is no desire to belittle the tragic deaths of servicemen but to focus only on this is not enough. The bottom line is that development is breaking out in the Missan Province. This province, bordering Iran and including the Marsh Arabs homelands, is coming back to life. The Salvation Army is part of a group of organisations who are working with the local government and the coalition forces to restore basic community services in and around the town of Al Amarah. The list of needs in Missan Province is very daunting; there are 550 schools in the province and only approximately 100 are in operation. I visited one school in Al Khalah, a town on the edge of the marsh lands. The school is in dire need of repair. But before it can be repaired a place must be found to house the returnees who have come back from Iran. This was an area of the country which opposed Saddam Hussein. The marsh lands were hiding places for the beleagured opposition. Saddam’s answer to this was to drain the marshes and to persecute the local population. One local person told me that if a village was found to have harboured the opposition forces, Saddam’s forces would come, select 12 young men, execute them and burn the village. As a result of this persecution many of the people fled to Iran. Now that their country is freed from Sadam’s regime they are returning home and they end up in any place they can squat. The school we visited had been commandeered for a refugee camp. The local town council is keen to help their people but they have no resources. So The Salvation Army is assisting the returnees to build traditional reed houses. We visited the building site and all the families were eagerly working on these simple structures. The reed structures will be daubed with mud and then the returnees will have a place to start to rebuild their lives. Once they move from the school, The Salvation Army will seek funding to repair it so that the children can get back to school. The winter is coming on and the challenge will be to keep these families warm through the months of December and January. Further into the Marshes we visited the Al Rafai village. Here the village headman entertained us in his reed-woven reception hall. He asked us if we could rebuild his medical clinic. It is the only medical facility for 17 kilometres. The condition of the clinic is very poor and it will be good to be able to rebuild this vital medical structure. Later that day we were asked by the head of education if we could rebuild three schools in the same area. We hope we can help these needy people. Some aspects of life in Missan are modern – we have been able to rebuild the Al Yamama School for girls and install computers and sewing machines. Other aspects have not changed for thousands of years, like the traditional stoves for baking bread. One ancient attitude that has not changed is the attitude the community has towards leprosy. Lepers are the ultimate outcasts in a community. A group of 10 lepers are living outside Al Amarah in very desperate conditions. The local community gives them food but the condition of their accommodation is very primitive. One woman was sent to the colony because it was felt that she was a leper. After she had stayed there some time it was found that she was not infected. She returned home only to be refused entry. She was forced to return to the colony and look after the other patients. We will rebuild their accommodation to give them a decent place to live. The more difficult process will be to teach acceptance of these sufferers into the community again. What is the true face of Iraq? There is the dark face of forces seeking to destabilise the country; there is also the face of the man who has faithfully tended the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Al Amarah since 1991 with no pay. There is the face of the head of education in Missan Province who endures death threats to bring education for the children. There are the faces of Iraqi children who need a chance for a better future. They are eager to achieve great things but they need our persistent partnership. The Salvation Army is committed to helping the peoples of this cradle of civilisation to rise from the ruins of these dark days. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #5 During my short career in uniform I appreciated what I saw organizations like the the American Red Cross, USO, Navy League and Navy Relief accomplish. Navy Relief seemed to get the worst press because however many sailors they helped there was always someone on a ship that had really needed something that Navy Releif and hadn't been helped to their satisfaction. Always wondered about those guys that griped so loud. Never felt like I was getting the real story out of them. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-25 8:45:35 PM |
| #4 Chuck Simmims...thanks for posting this article. I'm going to email a copy to the United Nations and International Red Cross. |
| Posted by: Mark 2003-11-25 6:07:36 PM |
| #3 When I was growing up the SA was the only charity my Dad would give to. When going back to Maui from Iwo he needed a few bucks to buy a razor and soap from the ship's store to clean up. The RC rep on the ship offered a loan to be taken out of his pay, the SA rep gave him a razor, soap and $5 no questions asked. I expect Dad's given over $20,000 to the SA over the years and he doesn't have to wonder what they do with it. Of course even the Salvation Army could not compete with Gentleman Jim Fair's Genuine, Get It for Ya Wholesale, Swap-Shop and Salvation Navy. Anyone from Tampa? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-11-25 4:12:48 PM |
| #2 I had lots of direct and eye-opening experience with the Salvation Army's overseas operations in the former Soviet republics in the 90s. They were consistently competent, efficient, reliable, and modest. A joy to work with, and bigger ambassadors of civilized behavior than many probably realize. They can only do good in Iraq. While most NGOs have many good people and do fine work, another refreshing thing about the SA is their lack of "attitude," especially, uh, what might be termed a suspicious or disrespectful attitude towards anything done by the US. It was no surprise to me that here at home, when Joan Kroc was looking for some non-profit to manage a huge recreation/community center complex she was funding in San Diego, she turned to the Salvation Army. |
| Posted by: IceCold 2003-11-25 2:46:20 PM |
| #1 Regardless of your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, please don't think ill of the Salvation Army. When I was in college, I got a temp job before Christmas as a bell-ringer. One day an old guy stopped to chat, and soon after another one joined him. Turned out they had both fought in WWII, one in Europe and one in the Pacific. One of them told me a story I'll never forget. He made his way to a camp and went into the Red Cross tent. There was a table full of doughnuts there. They wanted to charge the soldier for the doughnuts. He left, of course, and found a Salvation Army tent, and the leader there gave up his own cot, free, so the soldier could sleep in it. Remember, also, they were a HUGE part of the relief effort helping to care for workers down at Ground Zero. |
| Posted by: growler 2003-11-25 2:28:37 PM |