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Post
War Update - August 2003
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- May 2003 Update
MAIC would
like to welcome you to its second post war update. We will
be publishing our updates every three months with current
developments on the situation in Iraq on MAIC's work there
and in the UK.
HOSPITAL
CONDITIONS
Hospitals
are still in desperate need of supplies. The main problems
facing people within the country and aid organisations trying
to get supplies in are those of security and lack of infrastructure.
•
People are being killed and maimed by unexploded ordnance
(UXO). There is a high demand for prosthetics as a result.
The countryside is still littered with mines from the Iran/
Iraq war and with UXOs from the recent conflict such as bomblets
from the cluster bombs that were dropped even within urban
areas such as Basra. There is little security around munitions
dumps and children, especially, unaware of the dangers, have
been raiding the sites in the hope to salvage such things
as wood for fuel.
•
According to a UNICEF spokesman on 17th July 2003, more than
1000 children have died since the end of the war as a result
of explosions at ammunitions depots and from cluster bombs.
The latest accident of this kind was the death of 30 children
in Haditha, 260km. north east of Baghdad.
•
Cancer drugs are greatly needed as well as surgical items
for the administering of cancer treatments.
•
Antibiotics, surgical equipment, water pumps, light bulbs,
vaccines for rabies, antidotes for scorpion venom are just
a few things on the list of needs for hospitals.
•
The communications network is still down, leaving the Iraqi
people isolated and making it extremely difficult to liaise
with the necessary people to secure supply and distribution
routes.
•
The medical distribution system has broken down. Local hospitals
such as those in Al-Diwaniyah are short of the necessary and
basic medicines with which to treat the local populace.
• There have been reports of doctors and nurses being
threatened on their way to and during work. There is a need
to fully secure hospital premises and medical storage facilities.
WHO is currently training security guards to safeguard these
places.
•
The flow of electricity is still sporadic and unreliable thus
the treatment of water and sewage suffer, perpetuating the
high level of unsanitary conditions within the country.
RECENT
SHIPMENTS
1st
May 2003 Shipments 19 & 20 Update:
In May, MAIC announced that it had sent two shipments of aid
totalling over 200,000GBP to Iraq, transported for free by
Virgin Atlantic. As the war had just ended we were unable
to go through our usual delivery channels;
contact
had yet to be re-established with our doctors within the country
and the situation on the ground was volatile and unpredictable.
MAIC's medical supplies were sent with Virgin Atlantic on
the understanding that the British side of the coalition would
ensure the safe storage and distribution of the supplies to
the recipient hospitals:
•
Al Mansour Paediatric Teaching Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad.
• Central Paediatric Teaching Hospital, Al-Tifl Al-Markazi,
Baghdad.
• Kadisiya General Hospital, paediatric section, Baghdad.
• Basra Paediatric Hospital, Basra.
• Kerbala Children's Hospital, Kerbala.
The supplies
arrived in Basra Airport on 2nd May 2003 and were received
by the Chief Medical Officer of the British Army who assured
us in his letter that the medicines would be safely stored
and would shortly be delivered to the hospitals.
On 10th
May 2003, we were informed by the Chief Medical Officer that
Basra Paediatric Hospital had collected its supplies from
the medical storage facilities, but were told that there had
been delays in sending the majority of our supplies to Baghdad.
MAIC has been very disappointed about the delay and tried
its utmost to find out the current state of its aid and to
impress upon all those involved the desperate need for the
supplies. We were later told that the supplies had been sent
to Baghdad via military aircraft between the 24th and 31st
May.
We are
saddened, however, to state that it took a further period
of time till the supplies reached their target which they
did toward the end of June. Unfortunately a significant number
of items of the aid sent are still unaccounted for. MAIC can
reassure all its donors that it is doing everything possible
to locate the missing items, failing that, we have demanded
compensation to replace the lost supplies.
MAIC is
pleased to announce that within the last month we have re-established
contact with our team within Iraq. We would also like to state
that the next medical aid shipment has been sent through our
own channels as in the past.
SHIPMENT 21:
The shipment
was sent on 3rd August 2003. It contains transfusion stands,
WHO emergency health kits, sutures, antibiotics, paediatric
oxygen masks and other surgical items and medicines. The distribution
of the shipment will be arranged by MAIC's team of doctors
in Iraq and will be distributed to the following hospitals:
• Al Mansour Paediatric Teaching Hospital, Medical City,
Baghdad.
• Central Paediatric Teaching Hospital, Al-Tifl Al-Markazi,
Baghdad.
• Basra Paediatric Hospital, Basra.
• Kerbala Children's Hospital, Kerbala.
• Ibn Baladi Hospital, Baghdad.
• Hilla Hospital, Hilla.
• Mosul Paediatric Teaching Hospital, Mosul.
FUND
RAISING
On 11th
June 2003, MAIC held its first official fundraising event
for the Emergency War Relief Fund in London. We would like
to thank all the speakers who took part, Peter Troy from the
Department for International Development, Dr. Karol Sikora
(a cancer specialist) and Rym Brahimi (CNN correspondent)
and we would like to especially thank all those who have supported
the fund through their generosity and to all those who attended
on the night. We are very happy to say that the event raised
over 60,000GBP.
MAIC is
most grateful to all its donors and supporters. We are happy
to include the following list of organizers in holding fund
raising events and occasions in support of MAIC since May
2003. As always, the initiative shown in the variety of ways
undertaken in fundraising and the degree of compassion shown
is very touching and inspiring.
•
The HOPE Foundation in preparation for their Gala in
September, in support of MAIC, have created a school T-shirt
competition where children up to the age of 13 can enter to
draw a picture for the official logo of the Hope Gala event,
which will be printed on T-shirts and the Gala Brochure. The
original will also be auctioned for the charity. 1GBP per
child entrant = 1 week dosage of penicillin for 1 sick Iraqi
child. Please see: www.hopefoundation.org.uk
•
The HOPE Foundation launched their green ribbon awareness
campaign at Rouge Club. HOPE will be making the pins available
all over the UK through open air fundraising and money boxes
in shops and businesses. Please pay 1GBP to purchase a green
ribbon and wear it to show your support of an important cause.
•
Ilham Al Midfai gave a concert on Saturday 19th May
2003 of which 10% of the ticket sales went to MAIC. We would
like to express our thanks to everyone who has helped organise
this event.
•
The Arab Women's Association held a lunch hosted by
Mrs Leila Qattan; 60% of the proceeds went to MAIC.
We would like to thank everyone very much for their generous
donations and effort.
•
We would like to thank a very special young girl, Sofia
Morillo who refused presents and cards on her 7th birthday
and asked that the money should go instead to the children
of Iraq. Thank you for your generous and selfless gesture.
•
Pre-prep adventurers from the Cundall Manor School
in York raised money from a garden party following a visit
from an army sergeant on his way to Iraq. We would like to
thank everyone who took part for their donation and for their
initiative.
•
We would like to thank "The Heart of Aylsham"
and to express how touched we are at their collective action
as a community in raising funds through different initiatives
including a concert, a 'mufti' day, a raffle and through donations.
We would specifically like to thank the children of Aylsham
who raised over 700GBP for the children of Iraq.
•
The Brecknock Peace and Justice Group held a benefit
concert for the children of Iraq of which they donated part
of the proceeds to MAIC. We would like to warmly thank everyone
involved.
•
MAIC would like to thank the Hunter's Bar Against War
for their generous donation to MAIC. Especially we would like
to thank the organizer Jan Burgess and the members
of the "Stop the War Coalition" in Sheffield for
their continued support of the charity.
•
We would like to express our thanks to Professor Moffett
for donating contributions received from his retirement reception
and we wish him a very happy retirement.
•
We wish to thank The Women's Council for their generous
donation to MAIC's Emergency War Relief Fund.
•
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Craddocks
for their donation in memory of Keith England.
•
We wish to thank the Old Palace School of John Whitgift
for the funds they raised for MAIC. We especially thank the
organizers Miss Katie Neale and Caroline Giffs and
all the children who took part in the assembly role play to
inform the rest of the school about the work MAIC does.
•
We would sincerely like to thank the family of Janet Ursula
Cross for their generous donation to MAIC and to express
our condolences for their loss.
•
The British Druze Organization organised a cruise down
the Thames to raise money for charity. We would like to thank
them for their donation to MAIC.
•
MAIC is happy to express our thanks to Jane Stafford
and all the children who took part in creating a card with
their pictures on it to raise money for the children of Iraq.
We would
like to thank everyone who has organised fundraising events
in support of MAIC since the beginning of August. Your hard
work, warmth and dedication are highly appreciated. We will
be including these organisers and donors in our next update
in October.
Any
inquiries or comments are most welcome and should be addressed
to the editor, Maya Askari
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