MCC delegation to Iraq sees first-hand sanctions' devastating impact
Mennonite Central Committee Communications
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Strict economic sanctions imposed on Iraq in 1990
prior to the Persian Gulf War have created widespread suffering in
this once prominent Middle Eastern country. A seven-member Mennonite
Central Committee (MCC) delegation saw this first-hand during an
October 27 to November 5 visit to Iraq. The group, composed of MCC
staff, a U.S. journalist and a Canadian hospital administrator, toured
hospitals and a school and met with government and church leaders.
The Iraqi Red Crescent Society, similar to the Red Cross, hosted the
MCC delegation. MCC's only MCC worker in Iraq, Wanda Kraybill,
organized the delegation's schedule. Kraybill is from Lancaster, Pa.
Eight years of sanctions: Snapshots of an unfolding disaster
* Bob Herr of MCC's Peace Office noticed especially the devastated
state of Iraqi children's heath. "It's becoming quite evident that
the impact of years of war, and now sanctions, are taking a toll, and
that impact is landing with brutal force on innocent children. Rates
of child malnutrition and disease are all up sharply in recent years,"
he noted. Many of Iraq's water filtration systems remain in
disrepair and even the most basic medicines are scarce.
* Pearl Sensenig of MCC's Communications department recalled
visiting a hospital in the southern city of Basra. There a 52-year
old school superintendent lay in a fly-infested ward, facing a
hysterectomy, knowing that no painkillers were available. The head
doctor said the anesthesiologist would have to do his job with "his
hand on his heart," knowing that he'll have to rely on guesswork
rather than proper medical supplies to put the woman to sleep for the
operation, and then wake her again.
* Peter Peters of White City, Sask., reflected on the young beggars
and shoe-shine boys who crowded around him. "Every kind of emotion"
from annoyance to frustration to anger to horror -- welled up in me.
The ongoing, all-encompassing sanctions place children -- who should
be society's greatest treasure -- into the streets." Iraqis too
expressed horror at the growing phenomenon of street children, which
they say was formerly unheard of. With huge increases in food prices
and the collapse of the Iraqi currency, many families need every bit
of income they can gather.
* Daryl Byler, director of MCC's Washington office, reflected,
"Everywhere tired eyes told the story of millions for whom life has
become a daily struggle for survival. In hospitals poorly paid
doctors are squeezing the last drops of healing from out-dated medical
equipment and scarce supplies. We met and heard about doctors,
engineers and lawyers working as taxi drivers to supplement their
meager incomes."
* Tim Wichert of MCC's Ontario office remarked on both the frustration
and the hope he noticed among Iraqis. "At the pediatric hospital we
met kids with their mothers, unsure where enough medication would be
available for their treatment. That evening we watched as more than
100 newlyweds, accompanied by their extended families and hired
musicians, checked into our hotel, obviously hopeful for a brighter
future."
Others on the delegation included Elizabeth Cummings, editor of the
Central Penn Business Journal in Harrisburg, Pa., and Paul
Pereverzoff, former MCC Jordan program director.
The MCC Peace Office organized this delegation in response to a call
from MCC workers in the Middle East for greater attention to the
impact of U.N. sanctions on Iraq. MCC staff at the United Nations in
New York and in the Washington office will continue discussions with
officials.
Another delegation is scheduled to visit Iraq in January 1999, further
focusing attention on the impact of sanctions on Iraqi people,
especially on children.
-30- pls13november1998
MCC photos available:
1) At Al Monsour Pediatric Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, Canadian
hospital administrator Peter Peters delights Stalone, 7, with a packet
of toys and candy. Stalone, who suffers from leukemia, is one of the
lucky few. In December his mother plans to take him to Italy for a
bone marrow transplant. Most parents with sick children struggle to
afford even basic medicines, often selling off refrigerators, TVs and
other household items. Peters of White City, Sask., was in Iraq from
October 27 to November 5 as part of an MCC delegation. Currently
Peters is executive director of the Saskatchewan Cancer Foundation in
Regina, Sask., and is a member of Regina Peace Mennonite Church. (MCC
photo by Pearl Sensenig)
2) At the Red Crescent center in Basra, Iraq, a woman implores MCC
worker Wanda Kraybill (right) for insulin for her diabetic child. Due
to strict economic sanctions, Iraq imports only a portion of the
medicines it did prior to the Persian Gulf War. Those Iraqis with
chronic illness are especially affected because they need a
continuous, steady supply of medicines to remain well. Kraybill is
from Lancaster, Pa., where she is a member of East Chestnut Street
Mennonite Church. (MCC photo by Pearl Sensenig)
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Reprinting this article is encouraged.
Please send clippings to
MCC Communications
P.O. Box 500
Akron, PA 17501-0500
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