September 4, 2003 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Growing concern about insecurity in Iraq has prompted some charities to pull workers out of the country. But other organizations say they have no immediate plans to cut back on their activities there, despite recent attacks that killed or injured some aid workers.
Oxfam announced last week that it was temporarily withdrawing its nine expatriate workers to Amman, Jordan, leaving 53 Iraqi employees to carry out its programs.
Among the reasons it cited was the truck bomb that exploded last month outside the United Nations offices in Baghdad, killing some two dozen people, including Gillian M. Clark, who worked for Christian Children’s Fund. One of Ms. Clark’s colleagues, David W. Brown, was among the seriously injured.
That attack, coupled with warnings that aid workers had become the targets of violence, also prompted the International Committee of the Red Cross to announce last week that it was scaling back some of its activities in the country and reducing its staff to about 50 people.
Yet spokesmen for other major humanitarian groups say that, while security remains a principal concern with broad impact on their operations, they are resolved to stay the course, citing the strong ties they have forged within the communities where they operate.
“So far, our decision is not to curtail any of our operations, though we’re reassessing the security measures we have in place,” said Pat Carey, senior vice president for programs at CARE USA, in Atlanta. “Ordinary Iraqis welcome our presence there, and make a distinction between us as a humanitarian aid agency and the occupying military authorities.”
Mercy Corps, too, “is still operating there in full force,” said Nancy Lindborg, executive vice president. The charity has about 100 Iraqi employees and 25 expatriate workers in the country.
‘Good Contacts’
At least one organization — ADRA International — is even expanding its program in southern Iraq, where it’s helping to prepare for the reopening of schools in Basra. Frank Teeuwen, ADRA’s bureau chief for disaster response and preparedness, says of the decision: “When you have good contacts with local leaders, that can prevent quite a few headaches.”
Yet the dicey security situation is forcing many charities to rethink what they can accomplish. “We’ll all be doing some serious reflection on whether we can do the kinds of development activities we want to do in Iraq with that level of insecurity,” Ms. Lindborg said.
Mr. Carey of CARE noted that one health center in Baghdad turned down the high-protein biscuits offered by the charity, saying they would only be looted, and asked instead for help in fortifying its building with stronger gates and windows.
The need for robust security measures — including training staff members, hiring security experts, and fortifying warehouses and offices — has added to the workload of many aid organizations.
“These security issues complicate everything we do,” said Mike Kiernan, a spokesman for Save the Children, which has been running summer camps for more than 8,000 children in southern Iraq. But he said the charity had no plans to alter its programs, adding: “We’re continuing to distribute food and medicine to thousands of Iraqis.”
