Photo credits:
PWJ, The Mainichi Newspapers,
Japan International Cooperation Agency

Special appreciation to volunteer translators:
Noriko Inaba, Natsuko Tokai, Mike Nix

Republic of Iraq

Even after the end of the Iraq War in 2003, explosions, kidnappings and the seizing of foreigners have remained frequent in various areas of Iraq, and turmoil has continued. Since 1996, Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) has supported the people of Iraq in the northern region of the country, mainly in the Kurdish Autonomous Region (KAR) and it continued to do so without interruption even during the war. In FY2004, local Iraqi staff took a leading role in emergency relief and assistance for rehabilitation.

In FY2004, PWJ conducted renovation or offered equipment to a total of 41 clinics, schools, waterworks, and other facilities. Restoration of hospitals in areas including Mosul and Kirkuk, where attacks have been widespread, was very effective in enabling medical care to local residents. Medicine and medical equipment were also supplied to meet the needs of hospitals in other areas. PWJ, with its experience of the "Socio-Medic" project that it has been carrying out since before the start of the Iraq War, gave comprehensive aid to internally displaced persons and to returnees. This aid combined supplying water and giving assistance to help people survive the winter, with medical care. In rural farming districts, the mobile clinic project was also continued.

PWJ's fundamental policy in providing medical assistance is to rebuild the local system of medical care to create an environment in which many people can share in the benefits of the system. However, in FY 2004, PWJ also provided special medical support for two individual Iraqi patients. They were a seven year-old boy and an 11 year-old girl, both of whom were found to have a serious congenital heart disease. At the end of August, they visited Japan to receive surgery and treatment, accompanied by their guardians and Iraqi physicians. Fortunately, in both cases, the surgery was successful, thanks to the support of the many people involved. The two children went back to their homes in a healthy condition, after enjoying a short stay in Japan. Upon returning to Iraq they appeared in a local television broadcast and built a bridge between Japan and the people of Iraq by speaking about how their surgery went and introducing the PWJ activities that center on medical care, as well as describing Japanese society as they saw it.

Additionally, in FY2004 PWJ also began maternal and child health care projects for mothers, pregnant women and midwives in seven villages in Barwari Bala, Amedi District, Dohuk. A maternity health record book system was introduced, guidance on hygiene was given, and kits for delivering babies were supplied. This program was highly appraised by the local health department and contributed to raising people's awareness about the health of the whole community. The capacity building of health personnel and the dissemination of new knowledge about health in the local community, suggested to PWJ a new orientation in its relief activities. PWJ continues to undertake its rehabilitation assistance work, with the objective of creating better living conditions for the Iraqi people.