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CAMP STRIKER, Iraq (June 5, 2008) - More than 100 Iraqi families
showed up to receive diapers, formula and cereal at the Radwaniyah
Palace Complex Civil Military Operations Center, about seven
kilometers southwest of Baghdad, May 31.
"Rakkasan" soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade
Combat Team distributed two packages of disposable diapers, two
cans of powdered formula and two cans of cereal mix for each child
3 years and younger. More than 180 children received
assistance.
The soldiers began the initiative to reach out to Iraqi women in
February. A series of meetings with professional Iraqi women and
visits to women from different areas in the Mahmudiyah area
revealed their needs, officials said.
"We've had several trips to [a local] clinic, and that's how we
came up with the idea," said Army Capt. Martrell Gamble, the
brigade's women's initiatives officer in charge. "A lot of the
patients were asking us for milk and diapers."
Bulk funds were used to purchase 1,000 of each item for
distribution. Arabic flyers were posted in the Radwaniyah area to
inform residents about the handout.
When families arrived for the distribution, some babies wore
fabric fragments in lieu of diapers, while some wore nothing at
all.
Formula, cereal and diapers won't resolve the issues Iraqis face
in improving the overall state of Iraq, but it is another tool to
assist them while they begin to stand on their feet, officials
said.
"I think it's a big help for the people, … because they said
it's expensive and they cannot [afford] it," said Parween Mohammed,
bilingual, bicultural advisor with the Rakkasans. Mohammed said it
makes her happy to see the gratitude on the faces of the parents
who received the items.
"We don't have anything," said Rabia Ahmed, a mother of five
whose family depends on unreliable day labor for its income. "I am
so happy for this. God bless and protect you all."
Hamdia Ibrahim and her husband have eight children, ages 1
through 23. No one in the family currently works. She said the
formula offers a brief reprieve. She breast-feeds the younger
children, since she can't afford formula.
Gamble, from Landover, Md., said she is planning a distribution
at the Mahmudiyah Civil Military Operations Center and at Patrol
Base Dragon later in the summer.
"At the end of the day, we may not be able to change the entire
culture. But if we're able to help a handful of families here and
there, that's a lasting impression," said Army 1st Lt. Heather
Wilson of the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Combat Aviation
Brigade.
One of the primary goals of the women's initiatives programs is
to better understand the women of Iraq, while generating ideas to
help them achieve personal and professional goals. To that end, the
Rakkasans are working to get approval for a sewing center in one of
the buildings on the Ready Made Clothing Co. compound in
Mahmudiyah. The center would provide training and generate
long-term employment for hundreds of Iraqi women.
Wilson, a resident of Lusby, Md., has been involved with the
Rakkasans' women's initiatives since the effort's inception. She
said she is motivated by the enthusiasm the Iraqi women have for
improving their condition.
"You can tell how much they want change by how much they're
willing to work with us, how excited they get about these
programs," Wilson said. "Their cooperation is so impressive. … I
think this is more impactful and better for the country than
anything else we can do."
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