.Caritas Works with Quiet Determination in Iraq
Vatican City, 21 March 2006 – As the Pentagon launches an investigation into recently released video footage suggesting U.S. marines shot dead 12 Iraqi civilians, whom the military originally reported had been killed by a roadside bomb, the daily tragedy that Iraqis are living is overshadowed by the scandal of the cover-up.
Three of the victims were apparently children.
March 19th marked the three-year anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq. In December, President Bush estimated that about 30,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the beginning of the conflict. More liberal estimates put the death toll at more than double that.
Military losses stand at just over 2,300 casualties, according to the Pentagon.
Caritas Iraq is one of the few NGOs still operative in Iraq, bringing assistance to an ever-expanding number of people in need.
In an interview Friday given to ADNKronos International news agency, Nabil Nissan of Caritas Iraq explained that the problems they are facing now are even more difficult than when Saddam Hussein was in power.
“[Then] there were health centres, but we lacked medicines and equipment,” said Nissan, who is the manager of the “Well Baby Programme,” one of Caritas Iraq’s most important projects.
“Today people are less able to access health care because of the daily violence, and while the supplies are available growing corruption means they are often diverted away from those most in need,” Nissan added.
The NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq (NCCI) recently told Caritas Italiana in an interview that the constant stream of extreme violence was horrific, pointing out that the effects can be seen in the deteriorating conditions for the civilian population.
For example, Caritas Italiana says that now some 65% of the population, or 13 million people, depend upon food distribution from international NGOs to feed themselves.
The Well Baby Programme has seen a dramatic increase in the number of mothers and babies seeking help. The programme provides special care for pregnant or nursing mothers and their newborn babies, giving them the supplemental nutrition and medical attention they need.
In the beginning of 2005, the Well Baby Programme was helping 8,310 children, but by the end of the year there were 10,421 children in the programme, a 25% increase. The situation is more alarming in rural areas, where security is even worse. Over the same period, the number of pregnant women seeking care increased from 798 to 2,217.
What is equally alarming is the number of children that have not completed the programme once they started it. It remains unknown whether they have died, how many may end up permanently affected due to malnutrition, or how many were no longer able to get to the centres due to the risk to their lives in making the journey.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.
Reuters
Hey this report now has a third version of the story, how many versions of this story are out there?
Three of the victims were apparently children.
March 19th marked the three-year anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq. In December, President Bush estimated that about 30,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the beginning of the conflict. More liberal estimates put the death toll at more than double that.
Military losses stand at just over 2,300 casualties, according to the Pentagon.
Caritas Iraq is one of the few NGOs still operative in Iraq, bringing assistance to an ever-expanding number of people in need.
In an interview Friday given to ADNKronos International news agency, Nabil Nissan of Caritas Iraq explained that the problems they are facing now are even more difficult than when Saddam Hussein was in power.
“[Then] there were health centres, but we lacked medicines and equipment,” said Nissan, who is the manager of the “Well Baby Programme,” one of Caritas Iraq’s most important projects.
“Today people are less able to access health care because of the daily violence, and while the supplies are available growing corruption means they are often diverted away from those most in need,” Nissan added.
The NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq (NCCI) recently told Caritas Italiana in an interview that the constant stream of extreme violence was horrific, pointing out that the effects can be seen in the deteriorating conditions for the civilian population.
For example, Caritas Italiana says that now some 65% of the population, or 13 million people, depend upon food distribution from international NGOs to feed themselves.
The Well Baby Programme has seen a dramatic increase in the number of mothers and babies seeking help. The programme provides special care for pregnant or nursing mothers and their newborn babies, giving them the supplemental nutrition and medical attention they need.
In the beginning of 2005, the Well Baby Programme was helping 8,310 children, but by the end of the year there were 10,421 children in the programme, a 25% increase. The situation is more alarming in rural areas, where security is even worse. Over the same period, the number of pregnant women seeking care increased from 798 to 2,217.
What is equally alarming is the number of children that have not completed the programme once they started it. It remains unknown whether they have died, how many may end up permanently affected due to malnutrition, or how many were no longer able to get to the centres due to the risk to their lives in making the journey.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.
Reuters
Hey this report now has a third version of the story, how many versions of this story are out there?
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