Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

A recent article in the St. Thomas Bulletin describes a Water for Peace project by Students for Justice and Peace at the University of St. Thomas. In collaboration with other student groups and departments, Students for Justice and Peace raised more than $1,400 last spring to pay for a water-filtration system that is now used by the 300 students at the Imam Redha Elementary School for Girls in Najaf, Iraq.

To read the article, click here.

Water for Peace is a program of the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project and our partner the Muslim Peacemaker Teams. It is a service-learning project that connects Iraqis and Americans in partnership to bring clean water to schools in Iraq.

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By Mika Thuening

Thirteen-year old Hassan Khalid was suffering from fever, headaches, and vomiting. He had drunk water from a tap and contracted typhoid. Unfortunately, Hassan is not alone in falling victim to the unsafe water of Iraq. In 2007, the World Health Organization confirmed over 3,300 cases of cholera, a disease that spreads through contaminated water, resulting in at least 14 deaths.[1] The number one killer of children under 5 years of age is water borne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and hepatitis.[2] Although these diseases are preventable by treating water for human consumption, millions of Iraqis remain at risk due to the lack of access.  According to the Red Cross, 40% of Iraqis lack access to clean water.[3] More »

Students at Perpich Center Arts High School in Minneapolis, USA recently created postcards to send to students in Iraq as part of their “Women and Water” project. The students also wrote messages on the backs of the postcards. Below is a sample of what will be sent to Iraq.

If your school would like to be involved in the Iraqi Art Project, please contact us.

Below are some images of children at Al-Kufa Kindergarten in Kufa, Iraq, where a small water purifier unit was recently installed by the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project and its partner in Iraq, the Muslim Peacemaker Teams. The school has 235 kids. Thanks to donor St. Augustine Church for providing clean water for these kids.