Foundation News
July 2008
_______________________
Essayons forward, Volume 5, Issue 7
_______________________
SECURITY TEAMS GOODWILL AMBASSADORS by LUANNE FANTASIA (GRD North)
Aegis Reconstruction Liaison Teams’ hard core job of exchanging battle space information with Coalition Forces is softened by offering a small measure of goodwill to the Iraqi people through an outreach program directly supporting the Gulf Region Division reconstruction program in Iraq.
RLTs verify that reconstruction projects are developing on time, are fit for their purpose, and subsequently used at their best capacity, according to Mark Sekula, an Aegis team leader supporting the Kirkuk Area Office.
“…in our travels, we’re always looking for projects that a community or village need, which we then propose to the Provincial Reconstruction Team or to the Brigade Combat Team,” Sekula said. “It’s another aspect of what we do for the mission.”
For the past three years, the Aegis Reconstruction Civil Affairs team managed a program of low-cost, high-impact community development projects for Iraqi citizens, according to Peter Maxwell, the program’s manager.
“Just recently we supplied summer and winter clothing for the workers developing the Kirkuk-to-Bayji oil pipeline exclusion zone,” Maxwell said. “This was high-quality outdoor clothing donated by the Quartermaster chain of stores from the United States.”
Maxwell siad the Aegis Reconstruction Civil Affairs team works with several other organisations – the non-profit United Kingdom-registered charity Aegis Foundation, the British Embassy, and the U.S. Department of State. “Every penny donated goes directly to the projects we coordinate here in Iraq,” he added.
The Aegis goodwill projects are small-dollar initiatives, averaging $600 to $4,000, with access to quick-reaction funds up to $25,000 for project requests meeting specific criteria.
“We want to positively affect public opinion of the reconstruction program not only in Iraq, but with our community of donors,” Sekula said. “Because our teams employ Iraqis, we can interact with the Iraqi people in non-permissive areas.”
Sekula said his team is pursuing a large stationery supplier in the U.K. to donate school supplies, and a long-term goal is to find sister schools in the U.K. that would “adopt” Iraqi schools to correspond and learn from each other.
“We have schools and primary healthcare clinics, both here and in the Sulaymaniyah Province, that could benefit from water filtration systems,” said Lt. Col. Mario Trevino, the officer in charge of the GRD Kirkuk Area Office. “All of these reconstruction projects have reverse osmosis systems included in the contracts, but could use a backup water filtration system for emergencies.”
Aegis provided water filtration systems for several schools in Iraq costing about $3,500 and providing capabilities for up to 1,000 liters of clean water daily. Other community outreach initiatives include immunisations for Iraqi children; school supplies and furniture; sports and medical equipment; clothes, toys and shoes; basic medical care; and minor rehabilitation of various facilities.
Posted: Aug 2008
