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Watch our new movie : Iraqi Health Now --How
the People of Kalamazoo Help the People of Iraq
Iraqi
Health Now has sent aid to the people of southern Iraq since 2006. Bill Murphy and Haider Alsaedy traveled from village to village in Southern Iraq in 2009, delivering water filters and
many other supplies donated by many in
the Kalamazoo community and others from around the country. Bill recorded the trip on video, which Iraqi Health Now has now transformed into a 30-minute
documentary. The footage features families living in very poor conditions
and shows how they somehow survive in that
environment. People worshipping and caring for their families, young people running and smiling and sharing what little food they have, and their gratefulness for the medical supplies, water filters,
wheelchairs and walkers sent from Kalamazoo,
Michigan. Bill Murphy narrates their three week humanitarian experience in Iraq, “We made new friends and fortified connections
to last a lifetime. This was not a journey of two men; it was a coming together
of two communities in the spirit of goodwill, aid, and hope.”
How We Started Haider Alsaedy made his first trip home to Basra for the first time in 16 years and discovered
a humanitarian catastrophe. When he returned to Kalamazoo, Michigan he starting looking for organizations that could help
and together with friends, Kathy Murphy, Maia Storm, and Helen Salan, Iraqi Health Now was formed as a project of Healing
the Children Michigan/Ohio in 2006. Haider’s nephew,
Dr. Dhurgam works at the the Basra Maternity and Children’s Hospital. He told Haider about some of the most urgently
needed items and IHN set out to meet some of those needs. Iraqi Health Now started by buying
medicines and medical supplies from a mission source called International Aid in Michigan at a fraction of the cost. At first,
over 3,500 pounds of supplies were mailed to the hospital in Basra by mail. In the spring of 2008 a 20’ semi sized container
with walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, clothing, dried food, medical and dental supplies were shipped. In the spring of 2009
another container was filled by the good people of Kalamazoo, this time a 40’ container with many of the same supplies
plus 120 Hydraid BioSand water Filters. UPDATE: In July of 2010 we sent another
container, again full of many donated and purchased supplies for the Iraqi people. This time lots of shoes and socks for children as well as Igloo water containers that the
people there have requested as since there is only 3-5 hours of electricity a day they can use these to keep drinking water
cool. Haider will meet the arrival of the conatainer in August and distribute the supplies with the help of our friends
and volunteers in Iraq. CURRENTLY: We are now collecting for our next container that will leave for Iraq in January 2011. We are hoping to send more of
what we have sent in the past as well as some electrical generators for the families to share to keep food cool, run fans
etc. It would be great
to have some volunteers that are knowledgeable about how we could help the families with solar panels--any ideas? Write me!! We're interested in hearing from you!
Kathy Murphy.......Project Coordinator
Iraqi Health Now
kmiraqihealthnow@gmail.com
| Haider with Hydroaid water filter near Basra. |
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Iraqi Health Now is a grassroots, people to people initiative.
Donors can directly see the positive effects of their donations helping the people of Iraq. Iraqi
Health Now, a “project” of Healing the Children /Michigan-Ohio Chapter is dedicated to helping the people
in Iraq and the refugees that had to leave.
The International Red Cross estimates that there are nearly one million widows in Iraq raising families with very little resources. Email: iraqihealthnow@gmail.com
Less than 32% of the Iraqi
People have access to clean water! Iraqi families are lucky if they have electricity more than 3-5 hours per day!
*There are no paid employees at Iraqi Health Now.
All of the people working for Iraqi Health Now donate their time. *All donations are tax deductible
and 100% of the donations will go to help the iraqi people.
Checks should be made out to Healing the Children with a notation in the memo for Iraqi
Health Now.
We are hopeful that you will be able to help us.
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