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16th Engineer Bn. helps community help itself

ARCENT Release

Release Date: 3/19/2004

By Maj. Donald Walker 16th Engineer Battalion Executive Officer

NORTH BAGHDAD, Iraq (March 19, 2004) - For decades, Iraqi civilians living on the outskirts of Baghdad have had no representation in the Baghdad Governance. Many of the residents were considered squatters and denied all government services, such as power and water.

For the last several months, Bravo Company, 16th Engineer Battalion has been implementing change by forming and organizing an advisory council among the local neighborhoods north of the Kadhimyah District of Baghdad.

This area north of the capital consists mostly of farmland and a few industrial complexes including a power station, a liquid and natural gas factory and a large concrete factory. More than 30,000 residents grouped into several villages live in the area. The communities were neglected by the former regime.

Capt. Mike Baim, B Company commander, and his executive officer, 1st Lt. Dion Mancenido, meet with the local leaders of North Kadhimyah weekly.

"The first step in organizing the residents was to understand the terrain," Baim said. "We met with several villagers over a few weeks and tried to figure out the names of the villages and locations of boundaries. From there, we asked the residents to identify the key leaders in the area."

In December, Baim and Mancenido held their first neighborhood meeting with several of the community's leaders discussed and presented a short-term community improvement plan. The plan included organizing a formal Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC), gaining representation in the Kadhimyah District Advisory Council (DAC), starting an aggressive humanitarian assistance program, and improving local security.

The NAC then made contact with Hazim Al Suhail, an advisor from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the Kadhimyah DAC. With this important link, the NAC will commence its integration into the Baghdad Governance.

With the support of Bravo Company, the NAC has arranged and completed many humanitarian projects. Some of these include improvements to eight local schools and repair of several sewage systems. The community and its engineer partners are moving forward to improve roads, electrical, and water systems in the area.

"As more and more project funding is approved, confidence and support from the NAC leaders greatly increase," added Mancenido.

"We are now developing plans to organize local village councils and unarmed neighborhood watch programs," Baim said. "Looking back on our last year in Iraq, we have truly made a positive impact on the lives of the Iraqi people living in North Kadhimyah."