I remember when the United States entered into war with Iraq; shortly after the world trade centers were attacked. I remember watching the news broadcast of President George W. Bush announcing the declaration of war with Iraq. I was around eleven years old. I specifically remember the feeling of fear that I had. Up to that point in my childhood, I had never been aware of war and its effects. I did not know what was going to happen, or how it was going to affect our family. I remember my mom and dad, watching the broadcast with both an expression of concern and fear. The days that followed I found myself watching everything from a child riding down the street to an airplane in the sky because I did not understand what was meant by "war." I just knew that it was bad and I was afraid of it. I watched as the things around me changed, such as the prices of everything. People began to be cautious about their money. Everyone started talking about how bad things were then, but more so about how bad things continue to become. My uncle, who is in the army, had to leave us for 18 months to go fight in the war in Iraq. I was even more frightened when I learned that we may not ever see my uncle again, I was told that we were sure he would come home alive. We prayed for him every day and night, and anxiety became a feeling that I knew too well. I found myself worrying all of the time, about my uncle, about prices, about our safety. My parents noticed this change in me, and they sat me and my sister down and talked with us about all of the events happening around us. They assured us that they were going to keep us safe, and that we should not worry about prices. They told us that God would protect us, and that we need to just keep praying for our uncle. This calmed my worries, there were times when I would let all the feelings of worry and anxiety come back, but for the most part I felt safe, secure and protected. Without my parents I do not know what I would have done. Thankfully, my uncle returned to all of us safe and sound at the end of his deployment. Unfortunately, we are all still seeing the effects of war beating on my uncle. He still struggles with PTSD, but he is now receiving help for these problems.
Because I described how life was for me during the war in Iraq as a child, I also decided to research how life for a child in Iraq is. During the war, I heard countless news reports of children being killed, or used as war weapons. My uncle told us that there were times that children would have bombs strapped to them and they would be made to run towards American soldiers to kill them. These children would die, and thousands of others would be injured and scarred physically, mentally, and emotionally for the rest of their lives. According to the save the children organization, children continue to suffer from the psychological trauma of war and conflict, and access to education and development opportunities has been severely constrained (Save the Children, 2012). Right now, in the northern part of Iraq, there are only 15 schools hosting 43 different institutions. Each institutions provides services for three to four hours a day. The schools are overcrowded, does not have a clean water supply and lacks garbage disposal systems.
There are efforts being made to help the children
in Iraq. The Save the Children
organization are continuing to work with 15 schools, and are focusing on
psychosocial activities for the children, both in and out of school. Child protection and awareness are being
focused on, poster and booklets in Arabic are being given out to the
surrounding communities. Everyone is
being informed on the importance of protecting the children. In September of 2009, the main focus was to
have safe water and a sanitation project in the works. Efforts are being made to help the children
in Iraq become the successful adults that they deserve to be. I am praying for these children and I hope
that the work continues.
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