In A Word: “Thanksgiving”
November 23, 2011 by Lydia · Leave a Comment
Miles outside of Sulaymaniyah, a man gives thanks and prays as the sun sets behind him.
Iraqi Bundles of Love: How a Simple Idea is Changing Lives
September 16, 2011 by matt · 2 Comments
If you’re like me, every package or letter you get in the mail makes you feel good–especially when it comes from overseas. Two letters in one day would make me giddy. But the amount of boxes we recently received rendered me speechless. It’s a whole wall of boxes, and it’s all from the amazing people at Iraqi Bundles of Love!
When you hear a phrase like “bundles of love,” you might imagine Care Bears or old ladies making pillows or something, but the purpose of these bundles is actually much more impactful than that.
Iraqi Bundles of Love (IBOL) was founded in 2008 by Major Art La Flamme. What he intended to be a short, six-week project of passing out a few handmade blankets erupted into a compassion-driven, blanket-making phenomenon among quilters and sewers worldwide.
Now, willing contributors send Major La Flamme a box of handmade blankets and quilts, and he then hands them off to local Iraqi military personel, police and sometimes US soldiers who then distribute the blankets. IBOL’s desire is to place these bundles in the hands of locals who need them most.
You might be thinking, “But isn’t most of Iraq a scorching desert?” and you’d be right–in the summer. In the winter temperatures throughout Iraq drop quite a bit. In 2007, it even snowed in Baghdad (something that almost never happens) and in northern Iraq temperatures can drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Below-freezing weather without a decent heat source means all you can do is shiver through the night, so IBOL provides blankets for those who wouldn’t be able to get warm any other way.
We partnered with IBOL for “Super Secret Project #4,” and are thrilled that everyone at IBOL was so eager to bless our kids headed to surgery. We can’t wait to pass all the blankets out to children. ICU can get chilly, and blankets like this will make a difference in the children’s recovery!
Find out who Major La Flamme and his amazing volunteers will bless next by following them on Facebook. Thanks!
5 Ways to Destroy a Nation’s Healthcare System
September 9, 2011 by Ryan · 4 Comments
Whenever someone hears about our kids or reads about our work they almost always arrive at the same question: “How did Iraq get this way?” “What caused this?” “Who’s to blame?”
Well, after 4 years of working throughout this country we believe we can provide you with a concise answer to that incredibly complex question. This isn’t about guilting anyone or pointing the finger (there’s already too much of that going around), but it is a hard look at the answer to your question.
Based on Iraq’s history, here are 5 ways to destroy a nation’s healthcare system:
1. Limit a country’s ability to operate politically and economically
In 1990 the UN Security Council passed Resolution 661, which imposed broad, restrictive regulations upon Iraq. In a nutshell, these regulations stipulated that no country in the UN could import or receive any goods from the country.
Unfortunately, the sanctions did more than impede the political and military action of the Iraqi aggressors. The Iraqi economy, that had been so dependent upon oil exports and foreign trade, crashed as a direct result of the Resolution 661.
In 1989 Iraq’s gross domestic profit was over $66 billion. Just seven years later it was estimated as being $10.8 billion. In 1989, annual income per household was $3,510, and by 1996 had fallen to less than $500. Before the sanctions, 93% of the population had ready access to healthcare institutions, which were staffed primarily by physicians who had been trained in Europe or the United States.
This economic collapse primed the country for the health crisis it is in today, a health crisis that has lead to the death of inestimable millions over the last two decades.
2. Slash governmental healthcare funding
In the 1990′s Saddam Hussein cut spending on healthcare by 90%. Continued education, supplies of necessary equipment, and valuable public health programs all suffered without adequate funding research.
Without funding and governmental support, the healthcare system deteriorated.
3. Reduce the number of medical professionals in the country
In some areas, insurgents made it a practice of targeting medical professionals. Although many doctors were not individually targeted, they were still in danger. Ambulances were frequently robbed of their medical supplies, and it was not uncommon for gunmen to enter hospitals and force doctors to care for their injured family members or comrades.
Another blow was dealt to the stability of Iraq’s healthcare when many doctors and nurses, who were lucky enough to escape death, fled the country in a mass exodus, further damaging the quality of the Iraqi healthcare system.
The murder and exodus of Iraqi healthcare professionals is tragic. It has left many families broken and many patients without the care that they need. But the negative effects extend beyond their families and the patients they left behind. Without their mentor-ship, expertise, and knowledge, generations of students from universities and teaching hospitals will continue to have insubstantial educations.
4. Destroy physical healthcare infrastructure
In 2003 American and Coalition forces destroyed two primary public health laboratories and an estimated 12% of hospitals. While speaking about the state of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure, former Minister of Health of Iraq, Khudair Abbas, explained that of the remaining primary care centers, “15% have been looted. Even though 80% remain intact, 40% need extensive repairs…13% do not have clean water and one third are staffed primarily by paramedics rather than physicians”.
During the Gulf War, American and coalition forces destroyed key elements of Iraq’s infrastructure. “Bridges, communications, electricity supplies, water and sewage systems, weapons factories, healthcare facilities, administrative centers, warehouses” and homes were destroyed. While this may have been a strategy aimed at ceasing Iraq’s ability to make war, this strategy did far more than defeat the Iraqi military.
5. Overburden the healthcare system by creating too many patients
The above contributing factors deal primarily with political, structural, organizational, or educational deficits. Ultimately, however, it is the population of patients that compose the largest component of any healthcare system. And, regrettably, there is a vast population of patients in Iraq.
The demolition of water and sewage treatment plants lead to outbreaks of typhoid and cholera. In 1989, there were no cases of cholera per 100,000 people; just 5 years later there were 1,344 cases per 100,000 people.
According to studies, by 1996 31% of children under five were chronically malnourished. Just a year later, there were a million children under the age of five who were malnourished, and a year after that 70% of women were suffering from anemia. Another study, consistent with the information on malnutrition, found widespread, chronic stunting in school children as an indication of long-term malnutrition.
Poverty’s wide-spread negatively affects the livelihood of the Iraqi people. Low socioeconomic status is associated with lower levels of education, poorer nutritional intake, and higher risk of congenital heart defects.
Research shows that poor diet contributes to far more negative effects than weight loss, anemia, nutritional deficiency, and compromised immune system. Without the funds to afford healthier food, mothers with higher intake of saturated fats and lower intake of nicotinamide (vitamin B3) have increased risk of giving birth to children with congenital heart defects. 5, 8 Furthermore, low dietary intake levels of folic acid (vitamin B9) around the time of conception have been linked to higher risk of neural tube disorders.
But nutrition and education are not the sole arbiters of death and ill health. Many parts of the country still suffer from the chemical and biological attacks perpetrated by Saddam Hussein. Not only are individuals suffering from primary exposure, but research supports that children of those who were exposed suffer secondary effects in the form of birth defects.
The list of health problems and their contributing factors continues ad nauseam, and the patient-load continues to overwhelm doctors.
The evidence shows that the state of Iraq’s healthcare system has been nearly two decades in the making. The downward spiral began with sanctions in the 1990’s by making the nation more susceptible to economic collapse. It continued with a multitude of factors including military action by the US and Coalition forces, violence wrought by religious extremists, and a vast backlog of patients.
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The question remains, is it too late for Iraqis to rebuild their healthcare system?
Is Iraq too far gone?
Of course not! The restoration of Iraq’s medical infrastructure is happening now!
This November 5th will be our biggest surgical mission yet–lives will be saved, doctors will be trained and Iraq will be one big step closer to restoring what was broken!
In A Word: “Dayjob”
September 7, 2011 by Lydia · 1 Comment
A man sells (and models) toys in the Sulaymaniyah bazaar.
In A Word: “Pastime”
August 24, 2011 by Lydia · 2 Comments
Sisters, Samu (14) and Shayhan (17) spend the long afternoons during Ramadan napping and reading.
For more great Ramadan photos, check out the 30 Days Of Forgiveness series by our very own photographer, Lydia Bullock.
Why Heart Surgeons Are Like Rock Stars
August 22, 2011 by Lydia · 1 Comment
I’m in an Iraqi hospital room, surrounded by five conservative, Muslim women, discussing Michael Jackson. Wait–what?
During our last Remedy Mission in southern Iraq I became curious about what these families think when they see me. When they meet a young, white, American girl do they take me for who I am, or do stereotypes and reality TV characters precede me? What kind of reputational baggage have American media, troops or aid workers left in Iraq that I don’t even know I’m up against?
Needing to get to the bottom of this, I grabbed a translator and headed to the hospital ward to ask these mothers, “Who or what represents ‘America’ to you?”
The first few answers were easy– “democracy”, “freedom”, “independence.” But these were not the answers I was looking for. I wanted to hone in on who was the singular “face” of America. So we started asking just that, “Which single person represents the United States to you?”
The most popular answer? Michael Jackson. I couldn’t help laughing out loud. Really? Michael Jackson? I was expecting Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt or perhaps Katy Perry (or President Obama, at the very least). But MJ? And I got this answer from not one but several Iraqi families. Pretty interesting, right?
But the resounding response I also kept hearing was….Dr. Novick! Our very own, world-renowned, rockstar heart surgeon from Memphis is revolutionizing the way Iraqis see Americans.
Many of the women agreed that this ICHF team had completely exceeded their expectations on the kindness of the West. I guess saving their child’s life leaves a stronger impression than “American Idol.”
Dr. Novick–Michael Jackson’s got nothing on you!
Fasting, Faith and Cantaloupe
August 19, 2011 by Lydia · 804 Comments
My dad has a (don’t let him hear you say it) small Ford pickup truck. Despite his affectionate name, “the Big Rig,” his Ford Ranger just couldn’t handle the big leagues. It’s used primarily for carrying salt bags in winter, and it sighs under the weight of mulch in the summer. It was this faithful little truck that showed up halfway around the world yesterday, as comforting and hardworking as always!
Here’s the scene: I’m sitting in the back seat of this tiny, American-made pickup truck, sandwiched between two hijab-wearing women, driven by a man with a scarf wrapped around his head.
I’m with a good friend and her aunt and uncle, driving to pick cantaloupe from a neighbor’s field. It’s an hour ’til sun down and during Ramadan this means my friends have abstained from food and water all day. We’re bumping across this field (the Big Rig doesn’t need roads) and the 180 year-old woman next to me sighs, “Yah Allah” with every jolt. After twenty minutes of ambling around this huge plot of land, we finally arrive at the place where we can pick.
Cantaloupe picking is hard. Every single part of the plant has sticker-y things to keep you away. My attention is divided between defending myself against these thorns and keeping my balance–Iraqi soil is both loose and dry, and each step crumbles beneath me. My Steve Madden flats could not be more out of place.
The sun sets and it’s time to break the fast. We break open a cantaloupe and pass pieces around as her uncle kneels to pray before his God—the simplest and most beautiful celebration of gratitude toward the Most High.
With a truck bed full of fruit, we pile in and turn back toward home. I don’t know if it was the prayer, the shared meal or the father who had to make four U-turns before navigating his way out of this field, but today truly felt like “home.”
3 Tips To Help You Beat The Iraqi Heat
August 15, 2011 by Adam · 1 Comment
Iraq is hot.
This isn’t Texas-hot or even Mexico-hot. This is a mouth-so-dry-you-can-barely-talk kind of hot. I’ve never craved water as much as I do here.
It’s completely normal for temperatures to stay up around 115 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, so how do you beat the heat? Well, until Bear Grylls decides to brave this desert, here are a few tips from yours truly on how you can beat the Iraqi sun:
1. The locals have an efficient method for staying cool and they’ve been doing it for centuries–they stay inside!
As my Kurdish friend told me, when it gets hot enough to fry an egg on the street and there isn’t a pressing need to go anywhere, stay indoors and wait for the sun to go away.
2. But, as much as you’d like to hide inside, sometimes that just isn’t possible. Cabin fever sets in, and, once the walls start closing in, you’ll risk the eyeball-melting heat for a little air. So what do you do?
Scout out any and every bit of shade to walk under. This may mean moving to the other side of the street and under the shadow of buildings or considering a new route through the shady (in both senses of that word) alleys or underground passages through the bazaar to reach your destination.
3. In some places, you beat the heat by drinking something cold, like iced tea. Here, the idea of icing a tea or coffee is absurd. Iraqis continue to drink boiling hot tea–even when the weather is the same temperature as the drink.
However, they do have smoothie stands on almost every busy street corner. Here you can drink freshly blended cantaloupe, kiwi, carrot or orange juice. It’s pure fruit, it’s cold and it’s usually less than 25 cents a cup!
So there you have–3 ways to stay cool and beat the Iraqi heat! Hope that helps!
The Most Disappointing Thing About My 10 Weeks In Iraq
August 1, 2011 by Adam · 2 Comments
Remember Jenga? That crazy game where you pull blocks out of the wooden tower, hoping it doesn’t tumble over? Making plans often feels like a game of Jenga. You build a tower of ideas piece-by-piece, then life pulls at pieces of your plan, and sometimes our tower of plans comes crumbling down…
About a month ago, we received some disappointing news, and the PLC staff had to make a difficult decision. The Remedy Mission we all hoped to experience in our city, Sulaymaniyah (aka, “Suly”), was canceled. For many of the interns, this Remedy Mission was the biggest reason we fought so hard to get the PLC internship. From the start of our internship process, we wanted to meet the families and kids who would be on the receiving end of lifesaving surgeries. Some of the intern’s assigned work even revolved around there being a Remedy Mission VI.
To make a complicated situation simple, the hospital and a local nonprofit partner didn’t prepare enough for the impending surgical mission. The hospital wasn’t as equipped to handle these complex surgeries as it should have been and funding was withheld. Surgical missions always have some risk involved, but PLC won’t dive into a Remedy Mission with unnecessary risks that could cost children their lives.
PLC could have provided more funds to make the surgical mission in Suly happen and just hoped the hospital’s current equipment was sufficient, but this is about long term solutions over short term gain. The problem could have been temporarily fixed with a handout, but we would much rather empower local organizations and hospitals to take ownership and responsibility for their community–for saving the lives of their children.
We don’t ram solutions down people’s throats. We’re here to aid local desires and local initiatives. So when local preparations fall or local enthusiasm wanes, we don’t force it. Part of creating long term solutions lies in ensuring that this is something local doctors, government officials and parents of sick babies really want–without our patronage.
Thankfully, PLC was still able to host a Remedy Mission, but it was relocated to a better-prepared, southern Iraqi hospital–a place most interns were unable to go.
When the rug is pulled out from under us, we can’t help but feel disappointment. However, we must come to the realization that GOD will reconcile our plans. Even when our Jenga tower crumbles to the floor, GOD is still in control.
Now Remedy VI is finished in southern Iraq, and we can praise GOD for each of the 18 kids who received a successful heart surgery and for zero fatalities!
The internship is now over and–Remedy Mission or not–each of us experienced so many valuable events and lessons. Our plans never really work out quite how we anticipate, but we’ve seen that GOD is trustworthy and will work everything out for the best.
In the News: “Rebuilt Iraq Hospital Plans Surgery On Infants”
July 29, 2011 by matt · 2 Comments
Yahoo! News recently released an article about the rebuilding of Iraq’s largest heart hospital. After being burned and looted during the invasion of Baghdad in 2003, the hospital was deemed “beyond repair.”
But they underestimated the doctor’s commitment to their patients and to their hospital.
Click here to read the entire article. This article is just one example of how Iraqi cardiac hospitals aren’t just burnt-out and “beyond repair,” they’re proof that you and I can improve Iraq’s medical infrastructure.