Convoy to Baghdad
In an attempt to help stem the worsening humanitarian crisis in post-war Iraq, the Doctors' Syndicate has been organising a massive relief campaign. Reem Nafie reports
From the moment the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq began, Egyptians have been aching to help the Iraqi people in any way they can. Those who wanted to donate money were hesitant, however, unable to guarantee that their contributions would really end up in the hands of those in need.
Recently, however, the Doctors' Syndicate -- with its extensively documented prior experience in delivering relief to troubled parts of the world like Palestine and Bosnia -- began a massive donation campaign in collaboration with the Iraqi Red Crescent and Iraq's Humanitarian Relief Organisation.
The efforts resulted in the syndicate's sending of its third convoy to Baghdad last Monday, equipped with around LE1.5 million worth of medicine and medical equipment, as well as large amounts of powdered milk for infants. The syndicate had previously sent two similar convoys to Baghdad in the first few weeks of the war.
According to Ayman Abed, chairman of the syndicate's humanitarian assistance committee, "we received a request from the Iraqi Red Crescent, indicating that they are in desperate need of baby milk, and that a great many children are dying as a result."
Getting the supplies into Iraq required a great deal of effort, but both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior have provided the syndicate with the necessary permissions for the convoy to leave Egypt's borders, and pass through its customs points. The convoys then entered Jordan via a Nuweiba-Aqaba ferry, and from there they travel overland via the international highway linking Jordan with Iraq.
A representative from the Doctors' Syndicate accompanies the convoy all the way to Baghdad, making sure that the Red Crescent there receives the supplies. "The American troops in Baghdad don't have a problem with Iraq receiving donations. They were very cooperative when our first convoy arrived five days after the war began," Abed told Al-Ahram Weekly.
Many large Egyptian organisations have offered to help by collecting donations and sending them to the Doctors' Syndicate. The American University in Cairo's (AUC) Development Office, for one, circulated e-mails urging students and faculty to donate to the cause. "We collected LE10,000 from students and faculty and are hoping for more soon," said AUC's Afraa Abdel-Razzaq.
Other organisations have helped in any way they can -- the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Company, for instance, has given the Doctors' Syndicate carte blanche to purchase medicines at up to a 50 per cent discount, thus allowing them to purchase nearly double the amount of medicine for the same price.
In order to reassure people that the efforts are legitimate, the syndicate and the other organisations involved have also begun issuing receipts to donors. Some people, however, remain unconvinced. "I am not against donating," said housewife Azza Ibrahim, "but how do I know that my money will be used for the Iraqi cause? I have no guarantee."
Government employee Mohamed Abdel-Hamid said he doesn't "trust anything to do with the government, and I am not ready to waste my money. A receipt means nothing to me."
Still, it's clear that enough people -- both in Egypt and around the Arab world -- have faith in the process. According to Abed, "the Jordan-Iraq Autostrade is crowded with trucks and convoys filled with humanitarian aid."
