FORWARD OPERATING BASE UNION III, Iraq – In the sweltering Baghdad morning heat here July 23, a group of U.S. Soldiers, Airmen, and U.S. civilian volunteers gathered to load four trucks with boxes of supplies for needy Iraqis.
Some of these volunteers work for Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, which has a presence at FOB Union III. Their participation in this humanitarian supply mission supports the U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement that calls for strategic partnerships in various fields, including culture and health.
“There are all sorts of things in these boxes,” said Fareed Betros, president of Families United Toward
FUTURE has taught Iraqi women an organizational model of volunteerism that promotes self-reliance, networking, and unity of the family. FUTURE also supports women by assisting them to establish, sustain, and grow their own volunteer networks. “Women for Future – Iraq” is one such network that brings women together to assist one another with resources, ideas, and support in order to solve problems in their homes and neighborhoods leading to a more stable and peaceful Iraq.
The items are collected by Operation Give and groups that work with them, such as the Launfal Foundation’s goodwill containers. The items are then shipped to FUTURE in Baghdad. FUTURE then unloads the shipping containers with the help of service members, such as those from MNSTC-I and those neighboring U.S. military units.
“We are the National Guard; we are used to people helping people, it’s what we do,” said Spc. Michael Snyder, an Illinois Guardsman with the Casualty Liaison Team at the 10th Combat Support Hospital.
Fifteen volunteers unloaded care packages from two containers on to four trucks provided by a local Iraqi trucking company. The trucks are offloaded at two warehouses in Baghdad, where volunteers from FUTURE, the Iraqi women’s group, organize the donations into kits for distribution to widows, orphans and the handicapped.
“They are very thankful, I have been able to speak to the recipients and they have expressed great gratitude. They are not only thankful but they are willing and wanting to give to others as a result of being a recipient,” Betros said.
The recipients aren’t the only ones who benefit.
“It makes me feel like I am having a bigger impact on Iraq,” Snyder said.
Betros plans to continue distributing donations. He also said he hopes FUTURE continues to develop and help fellow Iraqis.
“I am looking to the future, seeing a nationwide organization that will be able to do good throughout the 18 provinces of the country,” Betros said.
For information on Operation Give, visit: http://www.operationgive.org and for Women for Future-Iraq, visit http://womenforfuture.org
(News Release provided by Spc. Tyler Lasure, Joint Area Support Group-Central Public Affairs, 32nd IBCT)
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