Woman to woman -- Nevada to Iraq
The Nevada Soroptimist International Club has donated a laptop to an Iraqi women's group to help them further women's rights in Iraq.
They were approached by Sam Foursha of Nevada, who is serving in Iraq as the Provincial Program Manager for the United States Department of State in the Regional U.S. Embassy Office of Alhillah.
It's part of his duties to help fund construction of the Iraqi infrastructure. He usually processes millions of dollars of requests and grants. A request for a single laptop baffled him momentarily.
He is often approached by NGOs (non-governmental organizations)requesting money for various projects.
But he has found that many of these NGOs are non-active or completely bogus. Even worse, many of the small legitimate groups work in competition with each other.
"Iraq is a country in peril, it is still not a safe place to be and life is horrible for most people there," Foursha said.
"I'd like to see Democracy flourish there. The general public is good folks and deserve a chance. Most don't understand what Democracy is. That's the neat thing about what I do. I work the front line with local governments and help them make decisions and plan their own futures. It's a long term project."
"We're trying to get away from funding small projects," Foursha explained. "It's part of my job to work as a temporary agent with local NGOs who will eventually partner with international organizations like CARE, the Red Cross, UNICEF, etc. We have about 350 NGOs in the province where I work." In his research, Foursha noticed there were about 20 legitimate NGOs related specifically to women's rights.
"We invited them to a conference to partner up and cooperate with each other and coordinate their efforts. We, as the American government, don't want to work with 20 separate NGOs; but we are willing to work with a lead group and try to find funding for them through international NGOs," Foursha explained.
As a cooperative single group, The Development Foundation for Culture; Media and Economy, the once 20 competing NGOs could come up with a proposal for a grant package using a United States Government program called Targeted Development Grants.
Just forming this single group from many was a lesson in Democracy. "They held an election and voted together where before they had been in competition with each other," Foursha said. "Their concerns are women's rights, family rights, children's rights ... this group also does a lot of work with the media and that's great. They just wanted a laptop computer."
Commenting further on the standards of women's rights in Iraq, Foursha said, "It's not a good situation. Iraq is a Muslin country and women do not have the same status as men. It is a custom not to shake hands with a woman ... all the women in this women's rights group made it a point to extended their hands to shake hands."
"The infant democracy has promoted women's rights and the US government measures their progress ... are women voting, are they involved ... etc." Foursha explained.
Getting clean water to local villages is a big challenge as well, and Foursha had been looking for an NGO that would target that problem. Once formed, the DFCME was able to fill that need.
Foursha's office bought a portable water sanitation system for them. They will go to different villages and fill their storage tanks with clean water. While there they will talk to the women about women's rights, educational opportunities and medical problems.
Foursha added, "The NGO will get credit for doing these things. And they will promote women's and children's rights and promote good feelings toward the U.S. government. The women in the NGO are mostly professionals, doctors, lawyers and business women. We are trying to build their capacity to start and complete their own projects.
"The water sanitation unit will cost about $100,000," Foursha said.
That's numbers he is used to dealing with. But when the women came to him asking for a single laptop, he was stumped. That's when he thought about the Nevada Soroptimists Club.
Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities in 120 countries around the world.
When asked why the Nevada Soroptimist Club decided to help a group of Iraqi women, club president Linda Schowengerdt said, "That's what we do," and pointed out a paragraph from the Soroptimist Web site, "The name, Soroptimist, means 'best for women' and that's what the organization strives to achieve. Soroptomists are women at their best, working to help other women to be their best."
The Iraqi women's group who requested the single laptop, the DFCME, has stated their purpose as: to defend human rights and all media throughout the world, civil society and a general culture like democracy and human rights culture in all its aspects ... to embrace the efficiencies of workers in organizations and associations, media and government departments and the private sector. To further the development of qualities that help them to be professional in their work for the future, and to create bonds of cooperation among all civil society organizations, the private sector, government departments and media organizations all over the world.
That is a big task for any group. But these women are determined to make a difference for the women in their country.
A single laptop may seem like a small step, but every step counts on such a long journey ... and the Nevada Soroptimist Club is glad to walk with them.