Najaf

Education

IAA launched the project of challenge at the end of 2005, which contained literacy campaign program among women, residing in the following governorates:

• Najaf
• Diwaniya
• Karbala’a
• Basra
• Baghdad

The first stage period lasted from 6-9 months in teaching how to read and write, increase the women’s social and health culture and training them on sewing and other hand crafts. According to the inhabitants’ request of Najaf countryside (Gayim), a literacy class for youth opened, in which 20 young men had been learning since March 2006, hoping to acquire a certificate that will qualify them find a job opportunity in the state departments.

Health

The health awareness project in the field of mother’s and child’s care in Najaf.

The project aimed to develop health services presented for mothers and children in Al-Huriya district in Najaf. 1000 women from 20 villages benefited from the project. The project was implemented with the cooperation of Najaf health department and the primary health care section. 

The project of developing the participation of society in improving mother’s and child’s health services in Al-Huraiya district.

In the 20^th of Dec. 2003, IAA started a training workshop to develop the participation of society project in improving mother’s and child’s health services in Al-Huriya district. The project lasted one week in which the field survey lists were abstracted; problems were evaluated and properly solved through a specific period.  Three health and social teams including teachers and employees were formed to solve certain problems in the region as follows:-

First team: To tackle the decrease in pregnant visits to the mother’s and child’s care unit.

Second team:To tackle the decline in covering the children vaccination under 5 years old. 

Third team: To tackle the increase in leukemia cases for pregnant visiting the mother care unit.

• During the first half of year 2004, the three teams implemented their field plans and activities, besides starting an exhibition of impressive paints that were painted by all teams, some paints included health instructions and booklets regarding pregnant, child, and their convenient nutrition, other paints identified agricultural instructions, how to use disinfectants properly, and avoiding agricultural diseases that affect the environment and citizen as well. Some medicines were distributed such as (pregnancy prevention pills and syringes) special for family organization, and medicines for curing pregnancy leukemia besides presenting clothes for new born babies.
• An election of specialized doctors in the field of social health and health care participated in the supervision of the project. Ministry of Health also submitted necessary facilitations. The Christian relief organization contributed in financing the project.
•  The project was completed after holding an evaluation workshop from (9-10) July 2004.

The project of water purification station

Through the studies implemented by IAA in Najaf governorate, it was discovered that one of the essential reasons of spreading diseases is the water pollution. IAA constructed a station for water sterilization in Al-Huriya district, with the capacity of 50 m³/hr, covering almost 400 houses, for 6 villages in Al-Zaidy and the neighboring regions. The project was completed in the end of April 2005, and was supported by the Christian relief organization.

Distributing health aid in Najaf

In June 2003, IAA distributed a lot of medicines and different kinds of medical instruments to the following health institutes and centers:

• The popular health clinic in Najaf.
• The general company for medicine and medical instruments marketing.
• The center of primary health care in Abbasiya.
• The health center in Huriya.
• The primary health care center in Al-Ansar neighborhood.

Water sterilization in Najaf health institutes

In July and August 2003, IAA installed water sterilization systems (R.O), to a number of health centers in Najaf governorate, 8 systems with the capacity of 250 liters, and one system with the capacity of 3000 liters installed in the birth hospital in Najaf (lab. And birth hall).

Miscellaneous health campaigns 

In 2006, IAA cadre organized with the cooperation of Najaf health department, veterinary hospital and Diwaniya health department, organized an awareness campaign about birds flu disease, its symptoms and protection, in 8 villages in Najaf and Diwaniya, included (Mihanawiya, Shamiya, Abunimir, Abugharab and Tubar sayidjwad).

IAA legal and social clinic

It’s necessary to refer to a similar experience held by IAA representative in Najaf, on account of IWN under the title “The Mobil social-legal about violence against women in Najaf” which met wide success, and attracted the activities of many women organizations in the governorate, it also met with the cooperation of the judges and some lawyers, its activities focused on awareness and culturing inside the governorate and villages as well, regarding violence aspects, and documenting a lot of violence cases against women , including some facts in personal status courts.. etc, and it’s still continuing it activities.

In April 2007, IAA implemented a second regional training course, held in Beirut, for managers and experts in WIT in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, with the companionship of the International education institute, where 9 trainees participated in, including 6 trainees from IAA, aiming to develop their self skills and planning for continuity.

Advocacy  

In April2006, IAA launched with other women teams, the media campaign of the Iraqi women march, under the slogan “Yes to equality no to discrimination”, objecting to mobilize the public opinion about the national unity issues, against terrorism and sectarianism, for peace, stability and rule of law, preservation of the valid Iraqi personal status law, answering to the International conventions of human rights, the convention of extermination of discrimination against women (CEDAW) and security council resolution 1325 in specific. IAA wide activities includes organizing classes, conferences, events and workshops in Baghdad,Najaf,Nasiriya, Basrah,Sada Alhindiya,Hilla, Erbil,Sulaimaniya and Kirkuk. Radio and television programs were also produced under objectives of this campaign.

Human Rights

• With the cooperation of the Iraqi Red Crescent in Najaf, IAA presented in May 2007, elimentary aid for 50 displaced and poor families.
• Under the slogan (Human rights is everybody’s responsibility), IAA completed the program of spreading human rights culture in the schools of Najaf and Diwaniya, which lasted two consecutive months, starting from the 1^st of April 2007, to cover 21 primary, secondary and technical schools in the center and out of the two governorates, targeting to train 41 persons from the educational cadre of those schools about the concepts of human rights. Hence, Trainees started to train 1200 students, to deliver information and concepts accordingly, convenient to their educational levels and local environment, benefiting from the practical side of training, such as role plays, interviews and debates.

Rehabilitation

• In July 2003, Water purification units were installed in the arena of birth, and another health centers in Najaf.
• Installing a water purification unit in Alhuriya district –Najaf, 50m³/hr capacity. The project provides pure drinking water to 6 villages, about 400 houses. The project was sponsored by the Christian aid organization – United Kingdom, where work was completed in 2005.
• In May 2006, the construction of the center of training on developing skills, related to IAA in Najaf, started on 258 m² area, and hopefully will be delivered in 2007.