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Winds Japan 2-11-5 Sakurashinmachi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0015 Japan Telephone: +81-3-5451-5400 Facsimilie: +81-3-5451-5401 www.peace-winds.org meet@peace-winds.org |
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| Message
from the Chairperson The Role of NGOs Iraq Mongolia Indonesia East Timor Sierra Leone Afghanistan Iran Activities in Japan Major Activities in FY2003 Organizational Time Line Organizational Structure Financial Statement for FY2003 PWJ English Top |
| Republic
of Iraq PWJ has been conducting humanitarian activities in the Kurdish Autonomous Region (KAR) of northern Iraq ever since its establishment in 1996. At that time, KAR was very much restricted by the Hussein regime with only a few organizations to support the people. Under such conditions, PWJ has provided water, food, fuel and housing in order to aid the lives of those in need.  Even when
war broke out in 2003, PWJ continued to support the Iraqi people through a team
of more than 150 staff. Indeed, its activities in the KAR were expanded at this
time. PWJ established mobile clinics in villages and camps for internally displaced
people (IDPs), provided medical supplies to hospitals, stockpiled drugs to treat
the effects of biological weapons, and distributed emergency relief supplies.
Humanitarian supplies were also stockpiled in neighboring Iran, in order to cope
with any inflow of Iraqi refugees there. Once it became clear that the number
of refugees would not grow large, these supplies were later donated to the Iranian
government.  However,
the security situation in Iraq continued to deteriorate even after the war was
declared over. The problems caused by this lack of security extended even to humanitarian
aid organizations, forcing many of them, including PWJ, to downsize or limit their
activities. PWJ has, fortunately, been able to continue its activities despite
the temporary departure of its international staff, owing to its highly experienced
local staff and its firm local organizational base. Still, in promoting its reconstruction
assistance, PWJ is confronting difficulties caused by social/political instability,
to which no improvement can be foreseen at the present. No matter
how difficult, it is nevertheless true that PWJ and other humanitarian organizations
play a critical role in the still troubled Iraq. In April 2003, PWJ expanded its
activities to Mosul, Kirkuk, and Baghdad: areas beyond the KAR. Public facilities
such as hospitals and schools, that had been devastated by looting, were repaired,
and supplies were provided to aid rehabilitation. For IDPs who were forced to
spend the winter in tents, over six months after the end of the war, medical care
was provided and daily supplies were distributed. In spite of the prolonged instability,
PWJ seeks to continue to supply emergency relief, and to assist therehabilitation and improvement of the Iraqi people's living conditions. |
