06 November 2003
U.S. Provides Iraq's Mosul University with Computers and Internet Access
USAID works with Coalition Provisional Authority to rebuild Iraq
(This article by Ben Barber, a writer for the U.S. Agency for International Development, was first published September 29, during a visit to Iraq. The article is in the public domain with no restrictions on republication. For more information on U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq, please visit the USAID website -- http://www.usaid.gov/iraq)
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U.S. Provides Iraq's Mosul University with Computers and Internet Access
By Ben Barber
USAID Staff Writer
MOSUL, Iraq (Sept. 29, 2003) -- After looters stole the computers at Mosul University and burned the computer center, students and teachers had no way to do research and communicate with colleagues around the country and the world.
USAID officials discovered the need and provided 48 computers along with Internet access in June, giving the university's 32,000 students a place to continue their studies.
Professor Wafa Al-Abidin, 35, was one of about 30 women and men working at the computers this morning, and her topic of study was modern women's poetry in the United States.
Each student or teacher can sign up to use the computer center for two hours a week. Although there are no printers yet, Dr. Al-Abidin downloads materials she finds on the Internet to floppy disks and takes them home where she has a computer and printer -- but no Internet.
"About two months ago the computers were installed. It was a good achievement for the Americans to set it up. The Internet is important for our work," she said.
"If there were three times as many computers here at school, they would be used," she said, asking also for a chance to visit America and for American professors to visit Iraqi universities to teach.
She shows a letter she received from the American poet Adrienne Rich -- "a Jew but she is my friend" -- offering to send her latest book of poems to the Iraqi professor.
Using the U.S.-provided computers and Internet access, Dr. Al-Abidin is able to download poetry and information and send e-mails to other researchers and to poets.
The $69,000 for computers and $74,000 for Internet access was provided by USAID working in cooperation with the Coalition Provisional Authority.
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=November&x=20031106145902atarukp0.4192163&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html
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