March 2007 saw the launch of a new initiative by the Iraq Solidarity Campaign and the Middle East Cultural Association called Kick A Habit, where the organisations members, supporters and non-aligned participants are being invited to give up a chosen bad habit in exchange for sponsorship, with all proceeds going to both the Human Relief Foundation and Medical Aid for Iraqi Children (MAIC).
Medical Aid for Iraqi Children and the Human Relief Foundation are both British based Charities, which have now operated inside of Iraq for over ten years and they have provided much needed support to various medical facilities, families and other social institutions such as schools.
Since the war and invasion of Iraq, Medical Aid has been able to offer treatment and save the lives of more than 250,000 children and has offered six Iraqi doctors short training programmes in U.K. hospitals. MAIC is hoping in 2007, to increase its aid to paediatric hospitals and to expand its training programme for Iraqi doctors.
“In today’s Iraq every day is a struggle. The instability of Iraq’s infrastructure is systematically destroying lives“, claims the Human Relief Foundation, whose contribution to saving the lives of Iraqi’s includes, the establishment of water purification facilities, the sponsorship of 2000 families and of two hospitals in Baghdad and Mosul,
The HRF also provide sponsorship to a cancer unit in Baghdad, along with providing support to eight schools within Iraq.
At present, Kick A Habit is aiming to raise as much money as possible, to help both organisations continue their work inside of the devastated country, with participation coming from campaign leaders and membership alike.
One participant includes the Iraq Solidarity Campaigns own chairperson, Mr. Hussein Al-alak who is hoping to give up smoking indefinitely, “with the hope of raising as much money as possible for both the Human Relief Foundation and Medical Aid for Iraqi Children”.
“I think it is important that we seek to find as many diverse and interesting ways to draw attention to the plight of the Iraqi people and in the process, seek to raise money and build support for organisations, which are still operating in the face of daily attacks, threats of kidnap and murder.”
“Iraq is currently in the middle of a human catastrophe, where the people are experiencing unimaginable levels of dispossession, poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and trauma. Many parents are now too afraid to send their children to school and families are suffering from the consequences of war and violence.”
Speaking of his own experiences of the conflict in Iraq, Mr. Al-alak explained that “Having witnessed the direct effect that war and the continuing violence has had on friends and family, we recognise that the money we aim to raise is not going to solve the entire problem but we hope that it will help to contribute to challenging the daily problems that people are currently facing.”
“Iraq’s future is running the risk of being lost and now is the time for the people of the international community, to rally behind those who are working under incredible circumstances, to turn around and say; “The time is always right for us to show our solidarity” and the “time is going to be now!”
More information on getting involved with Kick A Habit, is available on the Iraq Solidarity Campaigns website: http://www.iraqsolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com where information on others participating will also be published shortly. Alternatively, to sponsor participants or to give a donation to Kick A Habit please e-mail your details to Iraq_campaign@yahoo.co.uk
Jake Parker
Medical Aid for Iraqi Children and the Human Relief Foundation are both British based Charities, which have now operated inside of Iraq for over ten years and they have provided much needed support to various medical facilities, families and other social institutions such as schools.
Since the war and invasion of Iraq, Medical Aid has been able to offer treatment and save the lives of more than 250,000 children and has offered six Iraqi doctors short training programmes in U.K. hospitals. MAIC is hoping in 2007, to increase its aid to paediatric hospitals and to expand its training programme for Iraqi doctors.
“In today’s Iraq every day is a struggle. The instability of Iraq’s infrastructure is systematically destroying lives“, claims the Human Relief Foundation, whose contribution to saving the lives of Iraqi’s includes, the establishment of water purification facilities, the sponsorship of 2000 families and of two hospitals in Baghdad and Mosul,
The HRF also provide sponsorship to a cancer unit in Baghdad, along with providing support to eight schools within Iraq.
At present, Kick A Habit is aiming to raise as much money as possible, to help both organisations continue their work inside of the devastated country, with participation coming from campaign leaders and membership alike.
One participant includes the Iraq Solidarity Campaigns own chairperson, Mr. Hussein Al-alak who is hoping to give up smoking indefinitely, “with the hope of raising as much money as possible for both the Human Relief Foundation and Medical Aid for Iraqi Children”.
“I think it is important that we seek to find as many diverse and interesting ways to draw attention to the plight of the Iraqi people and in the process, seek to raise money and build support for organisations, which are still operating in the face of daily attacks, threats of kidnap and murder.”
“Iraq is currently in the middle of a human catastrophe, where the people are experiencing unimaginable levels of dispossession, poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and trauma. Many parents are now too afraid to send their children to school and families are suffering from the consequences of war and violence.”
Speaking of his own experiences of the conflict in Iraq, Mr. Al-alak explained that “Having witnessed the direct effect that war and the continuing violence has had on friends and family, we recognise that the money we aim to raise is not going to solve the entire problem but we hope that it will help to contribute to challenging the daily problems that people are currently facing.”
“Iraq’s future is running the risk of being lost and now is the time for the people of the international community, to rally behind those who are working under incredible circumstances, to turn around and say; “The time is always right for us to show our solidarity” and the “time is going to be now!”
More information on getting involved with Kick A Habit, is available on the Iraq Solidarity Campaigns website: http://www.iraqsolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com where information on others participating will also be published shortly. Alternatively, to sponsor participants or to give a donation to Kick A Habit please e-mail your details to Iraq_campaign@yahoo.co.uk
Jake Parker