Helping Clinics And Kids "To Better Weather The War"

Baltimore, April 3, 2003 — It's a struggle that uses soap and sandbags to protect children against disease and to spare hospitals from bomb damage. A truck of soap and laundry detergent reached Baghdad this week from Jordan, one result of the "All Our Children" campaign that includes Lutheran World Relief. The 11 tons of soap on board are to help keep children, mothers and clinics cleaner and healthier at 68 pediatric centers in central and southern Iraq.

Another "All Our Children" truck — this one carrying sheets, blankets and wheelchairs — is also ready to leave Amman, Jordan, for Baghdad this week if the highway stays open. The supplies are for four hard-strapped pediatric hospitals in the Iraqi capitol. The hospitals' water and fuel systems will also be sandbagged against blast damage as part of the same $50,000 project. In addition, engineers and repairmen will be available at the hospitals for the next four weeks, assessing damage and doing repairs to help keep the institutions open.

The project team is "moving quickly to prepare the hospitals to better weather the war," reported Steve Weaver, a Church World Service staff member working in Jordan for the multi-agency campaign.

"All Our Children" is a campaign to raise $1 million for medicines and medical supplies for vulnerable children in Iraq. So far, $188,000 has been raised and used for that purpose. In addition to LWR and CWS, sponsoring agencies include Mennonite Central Committee, Oxfam America and Jubilee Partners. [For photos or to help, see www.lwr.org/news.]