Getting food, medicine and clothing to the widows and children in Baghdad
Folks, this is something I’ve been brainstorming lately, and it’s about the widows and widows with children in Baghdad who have resorted to combing through garbage bins for food to feed themselves and their children. Food aid, medicines and clothing that has made its way to Baghdad is not enough. There’s not enough rice, flour, cooking oil, powdered milk and other basic ingredients to sustain life to go around. It is safe to say that some of these supplies have found their way into the hands of the greedy and the blackhearted people, and I am torn up by this. I want to cry when I read that these women who have had no other choice but to rummage for food have also become victims of rape, killing and sport and they will oftentimes fight amongst themselves to keep what they have found. It is something I think about everyday and I pray and ask for guidance from Allah for some sort of local solution. I want to help. Who among you are active in trying to get aid to these women and the children? Who is interested in doing this?
Anyway, tonight I talked with my brother and with the imam of Al-Fateh Mosque in Juffair about all of this. Apparently, we do have local charities here that send the donations of food, clothing, medicines and cash to Dubai before it is taken into Iraq by a private Muslim organization. That’s good, but I wanna have proof that it is actually getting into the hands that need it. I suppose the only way I am gonna know for sure is to volunteer and go up there myself with the group. Some may call me crazy, but I am not afraid. In my previous life, I spent 25 years as a career military officer and Iraq was a part of my area of responsibility towards the end of that career, so I know what I am getting into, and I do have connections still in place that will guarantee a degree of safety. Anyway, I just wanna do my part as a Muslim. I just can’t get it out of my head, since women and children have always been a soft spot for me. All of these causes and arguing about this and that and how one can trump a debate or heated argument is just so trivial and amounts to nothing in the end. If one has the time and energy to write a comment or start a thread, and there is nothing physically wrong with you, then get off your butts and find out how you can make a difference in somebody’s day in Iraq. Charity and especially charity from the heart with no expectation of getting anything back counts for everything, and one does not have to be religious to do it. Pay it forward, people. If you can’t or won’t, then bless you just the same, but in the end, the only things we are remembered for are our individual works and for things we did not do when we were in the flesh. Who knows… maybe the person you support and save from disease, starvation or death may be the person who helps you when you need it or that person may discover the cure for many of the diseases we have.
Hi Dawoud, I share your concern and I really wish there was an easier way to do this. Unfortunately we are forced to resort to things such as “donating” or trusting foreign aid organizations that never update us on where the money is going or whether it’s even been put to use or received. It’s just sad.
I am really disappointed (but not surprised) by the lack of sufficient, speedy and effective help from neighboring Arab countries.
Esra’a I am doing some investigating locally to see if we cannot get actual proof that donations are actually making it into the hands of the ones who need it. Even if this means identifying a person and then following it up with vieo of this person actually handing out the donations to the needy and desperate. I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks a lot. Such efforts can actually save lives so I hope you keep it up.
What else am I gonna do when I’m not building cars or racing? Lol! Of course, but I need your help and anybody elses if they can spare some time.
Visit http://www.give.org to learn about how each charity spends its money. I always check them out before giving. Right now, I sponsor a child through Save The Children, because they seemed to spend the highest percentage of their money directly into the program, and I sponsor a woman through Women For Women International. Feel free to check those out.
Thanx, TeacherLady, for the link. I’d love to know if that would be possible for our brothers and sisters in Iraq (sponsoring someone).
In North America there’s Middle East Children’s Alliance…but I’d like to know more about ME groups and charities. I haven’t really heard about outpouring of aid like there was for Lebanon, just the same int’l NGOs. I don’t know what’s up with that.
Ditto, and that’s why I am looking into the regional charities for answers with the assistance of my imam.
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While I was at Juman prayer at Saar Mosque, I noticed after that there were donation boxes set up for a few of the charities, as well as brochures provided by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs highlighting the various charities, who heads them and their qualifications and where the money and aid goes to. It’s good to see that our government here in Bahrain recognizes the importance of educating the people on life-saving charities and does provide oversight. Regardless, I am pushing on with my quest to see if the donations are making it to who they need to go to. One brother did point out something to me that as bad as it is, there’s no way of guaranteeing that the aid given to the needy in Baghdad will save them (anarchy or close to it), and that it may be better to concentrate on the refugees in Syria and Jordan. Well, the women and the children in Baghdad still need help, but it was just a coincidence that just yesterday I watched Queen Rania speak of the Iraqi refugees that her and her husband, King Abdullah II, have taken in and the request for help throughout the world to assist Jordan in their efforts to provide for the basic necessities needed, as well as helping put together future plans and options for the displaced Iraqis. The Hashemite Kingdom has my greatest respect, regardless of what others think of them, and we should help the king and queen get a handle on things and help ensure that no more bad stuff happens to the displaced Iraqis (you know all of the harami stuff; let’s help curb it; if you have a male relative who happens to go for a weekend out on a regular basis to Jordan and Syria to hang out at coffee shops for tea and sheesha, question them on their activities; if they are up there for sex with Iraqi women (you can tell), drop an anvil on their private parts).
There are (surprise)some serious difficulties getting aid around Iraq, aid workers are often targeted for assassination as well. But there are still people going in and out of the country. Actually I think that’s one of the few things you can do there and get paid a living wage. The situation of Iraqis in Syria/Jordan is tragic but the IDPs is just as bad and many provinces are also closing their borders to migrants because they can’t take anymore. Jordan…I’m not crazy about how they closed their borders and also the forced deportations they’ve done. But I also can’t help but notice that Iraq has many wealthy neighbours, but the only countries that had open borders at any point are the poor countries.
Also, Aljaz did a show on it:
http://forgetbaghdad.blogspot.com/2007/10/but-why-is-amount-of-aid-actually.html
Also the Jordanian authorities are extremely paranoid about Shia Iraqis and they tend to bear the brunt of the discrimination.
http://hrw.org/backgrounder/refugees/iraq0407/
Also, I keep a blog on all this stuff.
I don’t wanna sound naive, blunt or not sensitive to the issues surrounding politics or different sects, but those things really don’t interest me at this point. A hungry stomach satisfied with untainted wholesome food and a body being repaired with medicine and a feeling of safety, a good bath and some decent clothing is all I care to be involved in. At this point, I won’t let politics or ethnic or socio-stratus or religious this that or the other blind me.
I am writing on how we can get the basics to the people that need it.
I wouldn’t have brought it up if you hadn’t made a point of praising the Jordanian government, I think freedom of movement is a huge factor in all Iraqis’ health and safety, but if you don’t want to get into those things it’s no skin off my nose.
The fact is that we all have mulled over the atrocities and the stalemate and this and that and the other thing in more than one thread. I think the audience pretty much knows what’s going on. I really don’t care what anybody thinks of the Jordanians or the Syrians. The fact is they have taken in so many people already. I’m interested in what others are doing to get the basics to these people, whether they are stuck in Jordan, Syria and inside Iraq.
You’re completely free not to care just as I am free to have my opinion just as you have yours. As such I see no reason to fight over it.
Hi,
Faiza, who writes the blog:
http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com/
is involved in getting medicines and other necessities through to Iraq.
See for example this specific post:
/2007/06/we-are-from-country-that-floats-over
Maybe you can try to contact her?
My Heart Crying With Bloody Tears (poverty At Wealthiest Nation), Every week I come here to sell my & my son’s blood
Can someone please help me out. I’m trying to go through what everyone has written. I’m a high school teacher who wants to raise food and collect clothes for the Middle East. I originally wanted to send them to Palestine, but see that Iraq is in need as well. Can some one give me any ideas as to which organization can be used. Many are only requesting monetary donations.