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Salvation Army in Iraq
Info we havenât seen from one of the really good NGOâs. 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. Saddamâs 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, Saddamâs 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 Sadamâs 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 â 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 2003-11-25 |
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