Iraqis helping Iraq

Johnny Waltz of Severus Worldwide let me know about the existence of Iraqi Health Now, a project out of Paw Paw, MI. On the site you can read about Haider, an Iraqi living in America. His nephew is one of the doctors working in Basra Teaching Hospital to try and improve the medical care available in Iraq to civilians. Since most of the people we treat at our hospital in Balad when I was there were civilian, that is a pretty important goal.

On the site, Iraqi Health Now asks for assistance, including connections to pharmaceutical or medical supply companies who might be willing to donate materiel for their project. Here is the press release from Severus Worldwide after they met with the group:

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MAY 7, 2008Contact: JOHN WALTZ (513) 488-0892

Iraqi Youth Union and Severus Worldwide Join in Unity

Dearborn, MI –At this time much of our world is divided and in conflict with each other and it is imperative we come together to stop the division between brothers and sisters. In a show of unity, the Iraqi Youth Union and Severus Worldwide met together in Dearborn, Michigan on May 2, 2008.

The events on September 11, 2001 and the ensuing wars have only made relations worse between Americans and Muslims. Many quickly utilize stereotypes with Muslims and put them all in a tidy box with the label terrorist on it. It is imperative that we set aside any and all religious, political, and ideological stereotypes in order to realize that Iraq is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.

The Iraqi Youth Union is comprised of Iraqi Americans whose mission is to assist the children in Iraq with critical medical needs. IYU President Duaa Al Karawy knows the importance of her mission first hand after being born shortly before the Iraq war in 1992. Severus Executive Director John Waltz said, “the stories of perseverance of overcoming monumental struggles is the template for what it will take to help provide Iraq with the tools for a better future.”
Duaa Al Karawy says that she “wants to set an example for everyone who is looking at Iraq as if it is just a land of oil or simply as an enemy of America. I want everyone to realize what 35 years of war has done to their future. The reality is that children who are being filled with hate, war, and killing are the future politicians, teachers, mothers, and fathers. I want to stop the cycle of hatred to see that we are here on earth to help each other regardless of race or religion, we are all human, we bleed, we cry, and we hurt the same.”

For more information on how you can make an investment in Iraq’s future please visit www.severusworldwide.org and www.iraqihealthnow.org/