Building Freedom

Hello Bret: 

Glad to hear from you and sorry for my late response. It’s getting cooler here too, we can walk outside in the evenings, and today it rained after a sandstorm in Baghdad and north Hillah. Usually it doesn’t rain until November.

I am glad the FFA team had their project displayed in the Iowa State Fair.  No doubt they should be proud of their Iraq project, here we have two great rivers and loam good for farming, I am hoping we – in Iraq – invest more in the agribusiness, we are neither a manufacturing country nor active in tourism, and we just got the oil (which is consumable) and agriculture.  

I have been trying to get in touch with my manager in RTI and ask him for a permission to use the RTI mail address for the next FFA shipment, he’s been away on a mission or vacation, and just came back, I will write to him because I will not see him for three weeks, we have 1 week holiday (Eid Holiday for all Muslims – after Ramadan, the fasting Islamic month) and then I requested two weeks r&r, I will go to Syria with 3 friends.  It will be fun.

So I will write to him and ask him about this, he will not mind, I hope, he’s been helpful before.  As soon as he responds, I will update you.

Baraa has been telling me about storms in his state Alabama, “it’s not fun” so he speaks, other things are okay.

Our schools will open at September 27th (next Sunday), I miss the crowd noise of kids, we live very close to a primary school.

There is an Iraqi friend of mine, university teacher, lives in Oregon, he wants to send about 20 boxes of scientific and research books collected there to Babylon University.  I got him the Iraqi mail address of the university but he refused to use it, he said it will be very expensive for them to ship the boxes, only the APO address would be good for them to send, I wish that we can have better mailing system in Iraq so we can send and receive mail easily and efficiently.  By the way, there is a new mailing company under development now and will work someday in the future for fast and effective shipments.  These books are with great benefits to our students here...   I will ask my boss about these also and see if we can receive this size of shipment.

I have to go to bed now, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you’re doing from there; I wish you and your family all safety and prosperity.

Your friend,

Haider

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 5:04 PM

Hello Bret,

I saw the pictures of the tornado, hopefully the damage is limited to property and not to humans.  It looked horrifying in the pictures.

The second shipment of farming supplies was distributed yesterday Friday May 1, 2009.  We went to a farm located south Hillah, in AL HUSSAIN District.  If you recall this place, the Seabees rehabilitate a school there, the road to there passes by the US Special Forces base, and it's parallel to Euphrates.  The main business in this district is agricultural, especially palms (date) and wheat.  

The farm we visited belongs to a farmer called Abu Alaa, my brother Sarmed knows him and trusts him.  It’s very important to trust this man, so we can speak to him freely about everything about this project.   Also Abu Alaa has good relationships with his neighbor farmers. 

It was the afternoon, Abu Alaa knew we were coming but he didn’t know about the supplies, as soon as we arrived, we told him about the project and asked him to call his neighbors, men and women, the farmers to come and receive farming the supplies.  While his neighbors were arriving and while the downloading of the materials goes, I was briefing he and his friends about the FFA group and the first shipment last year, the men were very interested to hear more about FFA.

Although some of them were sweating, just came home from their farms, they asked many questions about this project, the FFA origin and the people involved.

I also asked them about how they will use these materials, will it help them to do their job.  I can tell you, they never imagined there are so many things that can make their job easier and efficient.  Some of them knew, but never thought they would have the supplies available in hands.

Unfortunately, here in Iraq, the workforce takes SAFETY as the last thing in the work list, in all fields, not just agriculture, and that’s due to the absence of education and safety regulations… etc.   I want to see this changing, but I know it requires much efforts and long time.

We took many pictures I will be sending them in e-mails today.   They were taken by two cameras.

Big thanks to the Central City FFA group for everything they’ve done to help the Iraqi farmers.   This project is another honorable efforts added to what the US people put over years in Iraq.  The Iraqi farmers who got the chance to hear about you is now looking up to you and their peers in the world, your efforts and donations were well appreciated by all the men, women and kids who received something from you yesterday.

Also thanks to Rob Pangburn for adopting this project, Ms. Mary Day, Ms. Rae Ann Holub and Mr. Bill Aossey for the facilitating and support, every one of you took this project a step forward.

Thanks to Sarmed (my brother) and our friends Mustafa Kamil and Hassanein Fadil who helped us with the organization of the distribution.  

Thanks to you Bret.   You’re a true friend and anyone would be lucky to be a friend of yours.  God bless you!

Haider Shawqi

Al Hillah, IRAQ

Date: Monday, April 27, 2009

Hello Bret,

The 3 boxes are here in my office!  I opened one of them on the quick and saw the newspapers, really impressive to see Sarmed's pictures for the first page for the first time on an American newspaper, I can't wait to go home and give him the newspaper... he often envied me for this

I need to look inside the boxes and make a plan for the distribution (school vs. farmers, etc... ).  I will write to you more when I go back to my house.

All the best,

Haider Shawqi

Al Hillah

Date: Monday, March 16, 2009, 8:04 AM
Hello Bret,
  
Thanks for all you're doing.  Yes, the address still
the same.  Go ahead and ship the boxes.
  
I didn't have a chance to check with local agriculture
communities and see how to facilitate receiving the corn
and other seeds.  I checked the website of the FFA group
and it's really nice work, the pictures, the radio
interview and video, all were great.   I hope to continue
in this project and contribute in the bridge-building
process.
  
The weather is getting warmer and most fields and gardens
are now green again, means more landscape and outdoor
works.   Before ten days I could plant the orange trees I
told you about, they are now growing and will cover a good
part of the house garden soon.
  
It's 4:00 pm now and work almost finished, I must go
home , will try to write more later.  Please convey my
greetings to brother Austin.
 
Cheers,
  
Haider
 

The first shipment of 2009 was sent last week and should be making it's way to Iraq.  This project has started to grow and so has the size of our shipment!  

Thank you to everyone who has given support to this project.  We will be shipping again in May so please continue to show your support.  It is greatly appreciated by those in need.

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 1:16 PM

Hello Bret,

The weather is nice here in Iraq, it's Spring!  People start to plant trees in February.  I plan to plant some orange trees in the garden, I was waiting for months to do this. THANKS. (for shipping supplies again)  Please use the following address for shipping the boxes, it's for my Ukrainian boss:

************

I hope everything is going great with you.  It's really a good idea to establish a website for the people contributing in this project... how come we missed this idea before?!     I am already excited to see this website launched.  I can advertise for it here among the schools where the boxes go. The school kids there must feel proud about themselves, they are doing amazing job in making the school kids here happy and give them a good example of giving and caring... They even make me proud of my small contribution... I wish them bright futures as much as they love and care.

Your friend, Haider

Below is a copy of the letter sent back to Bret after our 1st shipment was received. 

Friday, June 13, 2008, 4:55 PM

Bret,

Yesterday evening Sarmed delivered the farming supplies to

a family of farmers near his farm.   He told me that

they haven't seen many Americans before as they live

far from the city but now, they feel different and they

think different about Americans, yesterday, they were

doubting everything bad they heard before about

Americans.   Not only because they received new stuff,

but because there is somebody who thinks about them,

remembers them, recognizes them.   There was an old woman

and she was like the leader for that family, she didn't

stop praying for you guys for two hours.  You and the

FFA team must be proud of yourselves.

Sarmed took many pictures, I will send them consequently by

e-mails.  He also took couple pictures of the equipments

we use for farming in Iraq.

THANKS AGAIN MY FRIEND FOR EVERYTHING 

Haider Shawqi

Hillah, IRAQ