Dateline ACT

Iraq 22/03

Iraq: A place of fear, but also of hope

By Callie Long , ACT International

As attacks on high profile targets continue to mount and cost lives, leaving humanitarian agencies shattered and the coalition forces and those who cooperate with them equally devastated, another destructive, if more insidious crime wave is also taking a vicious toll daily on Iraqi people. It would seem that Iraq has become a place where nightmares rather than dreams flourish. In Baghdad, stories of the kidnappings of children, robbery at gunpoint, hijacking of cars and random attacks on people all feed into the culture of fear that has taken root in this city.

But step in through the gates of the Youth House in Baghdad, and you realize that Iraq is also a place of hope. Every day up to four hundred youngsters gather here in two shifts: To play, learn and express themselves in ways they could not have dreamt of even a year ago. "These are children who have nightmares of being shot, of losing their fathers, of (living through) another war," says Tore Winsvold of Norwegian Church Aid, one of several ACT members working in Iraq today. NCA has taken on the Youth House project on behalf of UNICEF. "Here children come to laugh and learn and dream", he says.

Bringing hope to people forms part of the foundation of the churches in Iraq, which along with the ACT members are part of the global ecumenical response to the humanitarian needs of the people of this country. Archbishop Gewargis Sliwa of the Church of the East in Iraq believes that one way in which the church can help people deal with their fears linked to living in a city like Baghdad is to give young people "who have only known a culture of oppression and violence the space to show their talents." For Archbishop Sliwa it is clear that the future of Iraq lies with the younger generation. He is grateful that "churches are still seen as spiritual shelters and safe places to come to," although he acknowledges that even travelling to the church compound these days can be dangerous, and that young people are advised to travel in groups for safety.

And come they do, hungry to learn new skills – to the Church of the East in Iraq for computer classes, to the Presbyterian Church for worship and to the NCA/UNICEF Youth House for a wealth of activities that range from sport to computer skills.

But, while people are coming together, building new relationships and learning to hope again, the reality is that Iraq is a dangerous place to live. The ACT members are tackling the issue of security by sharing information with one another, coordinating their responses and taking the necessary precautions, given the dangers of living and working in this country.

Abu Marwa is a local contractor helping MECC rehabilitate schools as part of the agency's response to the emergency brought on by decades of institutional neglect and the recent war on Iraq in April by the coalition forces. He agrees that the lack of security is the main problem today, but says that it goes hand in hand with the appalling unemployment rate – commonly accepted as being well over 60 %. "Working in Iraq is very difficult, because this situation has affected us severely. It seems our whole lives have been overwhelmed (by these events). Banks won't give us our money. You cannot find the right things to buy. Explosions kill people. Unfortunately, the situation is very dark."

Archbishop Mar Emanuel Dally of the Chaldean Catholic Church agrees. "Iraqi people are not beggars. We want to work. We want to find work. These people came to help us, to open doors. They said it would happen and it did not. (Now) we need hope, otherwise we cannot live. We have no security now. That is our disability."

The kidnappings of children for ransom have particularly horrified Archbishop Gewargis Sliwa. In one instance, 20 children were discovered held captive in a house in the city. "People are afraid. We are still walking though a very dark tunnel. We did not choose it, but it was given to us. Now we have to walk through it to find the new light."

Yousif J Yousif Al-Saka of the Presbyterian Church is also quick to remind people that "this is not the real Baghdad and that the God who saved us from the bombs will help us now."

Iraq has been scarred by decades of dictatorship and wars, sanctions that brought the country to its knees, and over the last six months, a battery of assaults by forces bent on destruction. Decisions on whether to stay or not by humanitarian agencies increasingly under fire are agonising, as their very reason for existence is the humanitarian imperative – assisting those in need. And the needs are great. Less than 50% of people in Iraq are without access to clean drinking water and less than 10% of Baghdad's residents do not have access to a working sewage system. For the local churches in Iraq and ACT member, MECC, there is no other option. Iraq is home. Their work continues, as does the work of their fellow ACT members who have taken the decision to continue to support those most vulnerable. For NCA's Tore Winsvold who is based in Baghdad, this one way "to honour and finish the work we started with the people of this country. We owe it to the people who have lost their lives and to the people of Iraq."

(The operational ACT members in Iraq are the Middle East Council of Churches, Norwegian Church Aid, Hungarian Interchurch Aid and International Orthodox Christian Charities and DanChurchAid. Christian Aid works through local partners Iraqi Kurdish NGO Network (IKNN) and Rehabilitation, Education and Community Health (REACH) and Iraqi Refugee Aid Council (IRAC). And ACT partner Mennonite Central Committee works with the ACT members in Iraq. The work of the members are supported by the global ACT alliance.)