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Road to Baghdad — a Journey of Hope for Iraqi Children

By Iraq Solidarity News (Al-Thawra). Re-published with permission by Iraq Business News.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and around the world, people are taking those first steps in support of Iraq’s children.

Throughout October, the Iraqi Children Foundation are taking the Road to Baghdad on a virtual journey of 6,202 miles – the distance between Washington DC and Baghdad.

In this conversation, Hussein Al-alak speaks with Liz McRae about this month long journey and to also encourage you, to go on the road for the children of Iraq.

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Liz McRae, and I am the Executive Director of Iraqi Children Foundation.

Can you tell us more about the Iraqi Children Foundation?

The Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) intervenes in the lives of orphans and street children who are vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation by criminals, traffickers and extremists.

The organization was set up ten years ago by Americans who saw the need to help rebuild Iraq after so many years of conflict. More than 800,000 children were orphaned as a result of the Iraq War, and the ISIS occupation displaced another 1.3 million.

Our vision is that all children in Iraq have a voice, and are empowered to reach their full potential. All our programs have this goal in mind. We help vulnerable children through programs like “The Hope Buses”; where we convert used city buses into colorful, child friendly classrooms.

Each bus has two teachers and a social worker, and serves around 50 children with tutoring, nutrition, health care, social services, practical life lessons, community, and fun.

Another program is called “The Street Lawyers”; where a team of lawyers provide legal protection for children who are targeted by criminals and traffickers, abused by employers, or are facing other risks. They also assist children to get their papers so that they can go to school.

Can you explain how the COVID-19 Pandemic is impacting Iraqi children?

Many children in Iraq face incredible hardship every single day, often without access to proper nutrition, education, healthcare, and safety. COVID-19 adds new challenges for these children, and also exacerbates other existing issues.

For children living in poor communities, social distancing is difficult (if not impossible) due to large numbers of people living in close confines, and there may be little or no access to hygiene supplies or PPE, food, work, school, and community members. The bottom line is: COVID-19 makes vulnerable children more vulnerable.

What is the Road to Baghdad and why is ICF doing it?

During the entire month of October, we’re forming one big team of supporters from all over the world, to help us achieve our collective goal of traveling the distance between Washington D.C. and Baghdad.

Everyone can participate in any way you wish to “travel” with us – everything from running, walking, cycling, swimming, all the way through to dancing or housework.

Just log your daily activity and you’ll help us reach our goal! We’re doing this event because it’s more important than ever to support Iraqi children – with COVID and other concerns, they are facing extreme vulnerability.

How do people get involved in the Road to Baghdad?

Here’s how to join our virtual mission:

  • Click this link here and create your profile on My Virtual Mission!
  • Join the mission for Road to Baghdad – there’s a $25 registration fee, which goes to help Iraqi Children Foundation, and everyone will receive a digital certificate at the end of the race.
  • Anyone who travels more than 10 miles during the month of October will also receive an ICF custom running buff (gaiter).
  • Signing up only takes a few minutes, and once you’re done, you’re ready to go! You can manually enter miles via the My Virtual Mission website, or you can download the app and pair it with your phone, smart watch, Fitbit, or other devices.

Road to Baghdad is a great way to enhance your usual fitness routine, to set yourself a personal challenge, or even to contribute to a great cause while doing nothing differently! Remember, all your normal movement counts! You can go one mile or you can go one thousand miles… everything helps!

Sign up now and get involved – you’ll be helping Iraq’s most vulnerable children while also completing a personal challenge. Remember you can sign up ANY time throughout the month of October.

Send a message of support to people taking part on the Road to Baghdad by joining the Iraqi Children Foundation on Twitter and Facebook.

If you’d like to contribute towards ICF’s work in Iraq please click here.

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Cabinet commits resources to Dhi Qar province

The Iraqi Cabinet held an extraordinary meeting in the city Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province on Monday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister said that the people of Dhi Qar had sacrificed much for Iraq, but they have suffered from the consequences of past marginalisation. He affirmed that this government is determined to address the challenges facing the province.

Following discussions, the Cabinet approved several measures to improve services and boost investment in Dhi Qar, including:

  • Establish Dhi Qar Reconstruction Council to oversee the implementation of key projects in the province
  • Establish a working group to review all delayed and incomplete projects in Dhi Qar to ensure that work on these projects is resumed, giving a priority to projects that have direct impact on the lives of citizens. The working group will be chaired by the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, with the membership of the Governor of Dhi Qar, the Deputy Minister of Planning, the Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Municipalities, and representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Electricity, Oil and Education
  • Grant the Governor of Dhi Qar the necessary powers to oversee the construction of new roads, rehabilitation of water purification plants, and the rehabilitation and maintenance of hospitals and health centres
  • Direct the Ministry of Oil to allocate 500 million dinars annually to the Heart Centre in Dhi Qar and to the local Health Department
  • Direct the Ministry of Communications to allocate 10 billion dinars to Dhi Qar
  • Direct the Ministry of Health to provide hospitals in the province with medical equipment and supplies
  • Direct the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research to follow up on the progress of Al-Shatra University Project which was established in 2013
  • Direct the Agricultural Bank, the Housing Fund and the Industrial Bank to simplify the procedures for granting loans to the people of Dhi Qar because of the exceptional circumstances facing the province
  • Expedite the completion of Dhi Qar Industrial City and Dhi Qar Refinery
  • Expedite the construction of school buildings and hospitals with a high completion rate

The Cabinet also approved several technical and administrative measures related to Dhi Qar aimed at delivering tangible and rapid improvement across a number of key public services.

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

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Iraq “Too Broken to Protect itself from Covid-19”

From The Economist.

Iraq is too broken to protect itself from covid-19

Most Arab regimes have dealt with covid-19 by tightening their grip. Not Iraq. It gave up on lockdowns long ago.

The government seems powerless to enforce social distancing or the wearings of masks (some men see the coverings as an insult to their virility).

Read the full article here (subscription needed).

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Iraq discusses sourcing Covid Vaccine with AstraZeneca

By John Lee.

The Ambassador of Republic of Iraq in London, Mr. Muhammad Jaafar Al-Sadr, chaired a meeting with representatives of the British pharmaceutical group, AstraZeneca, which is a leading company in Coronavirus vaccine in cooperation with the University of Oxford in Britain, through video conference.

The meeting discussed the possibility of Iraq obtaining adequate doses of the vaccine produced by the company that are being developed, in addition to the possibility of the early launch of the vaccine.

During the meeting, the Ambassador thanked the group for the efforts made by the company to produce the vaccine, which would be a scientific achievement to protect humanity from the risks of infection with the Coronavirus, stressing Iraq’s desire to obtain the vaccine after its production.

While the company has expressed its readiness to supply Iraq with the vaccine after the last experimental stages which will be ready by the end of this year, especially after making sure of its safety, effectiveness and compliance with international health standards. The company is conducting clinical trials of the vaccine in several regions of the world, including the United States, Russia and a number of Latin American countries.

This meeting comes within a series of meetings held by the embassy with the company and other pharmaceutical companies in order to ensure that Iraq receives the vaccine in the start of its production.

(Source: Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

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NIC’s New Chair visits Wasit, Kerbala

By John Lee.

The new Chair of Iraq’s National Investment Commission (NIC) has been visiting investment opportunites throughout the country.

During a visit to Wasit Province, Suha Dawood Najar (pictured) said that Iraqi investors hae the financial and professional capacity to gear up with the Iraqi economy, especially if partnered and supported by the government.

In Kerbala [Karbala] she visited the Imam Hussein Hospital for Cancer, and other locations.

(Source: NIC)

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Iraq Bans Foreign Arbaeen Pilgrims over COVID-19 Fears

By John Lee.

Iraq’s Higher Committee for Health and National Safety has decided to “ban the entry into Iraq of visitors  from all countries“. The move is an attempt to combat the coronavirus (Covid-19).

This will create problems for religious pilgrims hoping to attend the Shi’ite Muslim gathering of Arbaeen, held in early October, which would normally bring millions of people to the holy city of Kerbala.

According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Iraq’s Ambassador to Iran, Nasir Abdul Muhsin, confirmed that no foreign pilgrim will be permitted to visit Iraq for this year’s mourning rituals marking Arbaeen.

(Sources: Govt of Iraq, Tasnim)

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Iraqi Cabinet Approves Loans from Saudi Arabia

By John Lee.

The Iraqi Cabinet held its weekly meeting on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, at which it agreed to:

  • Authorise the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to coordinate with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on the implementation of the National Project for Youth Employment
  • Approve the financial conditions of two loans from the Saudi Fund for Development, and to authorise a representative of the Ministry of Finance to sign the necessary contracts for the construction of a silo for wheat storage in Diwaniyah and the Saqlawiya Hospital in Anbar
  • Authorise the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority to negotiate and sign a draft air transport agreement between the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of Bahrain, as amended by the State Council

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

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Iraq Relaxes Coronavirus Restrictions

By John Lee.

Iraq’s Higher Committee for Health and National Safety held a meeting on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister paid tribute to Iraq’s medical and nursing professionals for being on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his briefing to the Committee, the Minister of Heath said that Iraq has increased its Covid-19 testing capabilities.

According to a statement from the Government of Iraq, the Director of the World Health Organization’s Office in Iraq, Dr. Adham Rashad Ismail, praised the Iraqi government’s efforts in response to the pandemic, and the measures taken by the Ministry of Health which contributed to a death-rate from of 2.9% which is lower than the global rate.

Following discussions, the Committee decided to:

  • Permit youth, sports activities and events in various fields (without the presence of spectators) while adhering to preventive health measures from 12/09/2020
  • Allow restaurants, event halls and tourist facilities at five-star hotels to reopen,  provided that health preventive measures are put in place as directed by the Ministry of Health
  • Allow all land border crossings to reopen to facilitate trade exchange only
  • Allow ministries and official public institutions to work at 50% capacity
  • Permit the Independent High Electoral Commission to open registration centres to allow voters to register for the biometric voting cards
  • Exempt staff of the Independent High Electoral Commission from curfew regulations

The Committee urged all Iraqis to continue to remain vigilant and to follow the official guidance of the Ministry of Health including adhering to preventive health and social distancing measures.

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

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UNICEF aims to Train 30,000 Healthcare Workers

UNICEF aims to train 30,000 primary health care workers in Iraq in efforts to prevent and control Covid-19 infection

With numbers soaring since early June, as of the end of August Iraq has confirmed 231,177 cases of COVID-19 and 6959 deaths.

To stem the tide against the pandemic, UNICEF is supporting the training of an estimated 30,000 health care providers at the primary care level, with the aim of disseminating key information about COVID-19 infection, prevention and control, with a special focus on preventing infection among health providers.

Iraq is using a cascade approach for this massive exercise, with online training of 132 national officials from the Ministry of Health over four days in July, and over 580 personnel from the Primary Health Care departments at governorate- and district-level last week.

These subnational personnel will proceed to train primary care staff in person in coming weeks, thereby ensuring that their newly acquired knowledge is shared widely with other frontline health workers.

“Frontline health workers are the unsung heroes in Iraq’s fight against COVID-19. Day after day, they continue to show up and provide critical services to those most in need, risking their lives,” said Paula Bulancea, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Iraq.

“This training will build on UNICEF’s ongoing support to health workers and vulnerable communities in Iraq as we work together and with all of our partners in government, the World Health Organization, and in non-government organizations, to control this deadly virus,” Dr. Bulancea added.

The cascade training will cover the needs of health workers providing immunization, maternal and neonatal care and nutrition services. It will also focus on water and sanitation in the primary health care setting in the context of COVID19.

“Simple acts such as washing your hands after seeing every patient, ensuring that you maintain social distancing with caregivers when vaccinating a child, and wearing a mask at all times will go a long way in ensuring that the safety of healthcare workers isn’t compromised on the job,” remarked Dr. Bulancea.

In addition to training health workers, UNICEF has:

  • Reached over 14 million people with risk communication and awareness in online and off-line awareness raising campaigns.
  • Distributed approximately 11,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) to front line health workers in the most affected governorates.
  • Partnered with the University of Karbala to produce 14,500 bottles of locally made hand sanitizers and 10,000 large bottles of disinfectants to disinfect surfaces, in partnership with the Karbala
  • Directorate of Health. These products were distributed in healthcare centers in Karbala and Baghdad.
  • Launched a satellite TV education channel to support 1.5 million learners in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

(Source: UN)

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Iraqi Govt needs more Female Voices to Fight the Pandemic

By Hanar Marouf, for the Atlantic Council. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq’s government needs more female voices to fight the pandemic

Iraq is in a precarious condition. It has faced major challenges on multiple fronts, including political instability, a drop in oil prices, and the economic fallout amid the coronavirus outbreak.

While the government deliberates protection measures, the capacity of hospitals and staff remain limited.

The rampant spread of the virus, with an average of 3,000 daily infections, has only been exacerbated by a lack of concrete emergency plans. Up to mid-August, Iraq had 150,000 cases and 5,400 deaths.

Click here to read the full story.