"This is all about the children - the future of Iraq," said Sara Al-Awadhi, a British-turned-Kuwaiti who helped raise school supplies to give to the children of Umm Qasr April 26.
Al-Awadhi, along with several other Kuwaiti women, went around to schools in Kuwait City to collect book bags, various school supplies, toys and sweets, for Iraqi children that haven't received such luxuries in months, if ever.
The idea started April 10, when Al-Awadhi and her daughter, Sumer, a pediatric
neurology lecturer for the Faculty of Allied Health at Kuwait University, decided
something must be done for the children of Iraq, the silent and powerless sufferers of
Saddam's regime. The plan didn't take long to grow. That day, Al-Awadhi had fliers printed that would later be distributed to Kuwait City schools, urging them to collect the needed goods.
"We knew from the news and from some of my journalist friends that the children were
really suffering up there (Iraq)," said a concerned Al-Awadhi. "After we printed the
fliers, it was just a matter of getting the schools behind us. After that, the momentum just started to pick up, and now we're here."
According to Penny Nash, a fellow volunteer, there were additional roadblocks to hurdle
in order to reach Umm Qasr children.
"Logistics were a big problem," Nash explained. "We needed to get across the border. That's a lot easier said than done."
That's when the Kuwait Humanitarian Operations Center stepped in. According to Al-Awadhi, they were instrumental in not only escorting the group of women safely across the border, but in supplying trucks to collect the supplies from the individual schools. The humanitarian group also supplied volunteers to sort the goods and organize them for their eventual distribution to the Umm Qasr children, ranging from 4 to 14 years old.
As the bags were handed out, parents and teachers alike smiled as children inspected their new school supplies. Najim Abdul-Mahdi, town council leader and school supervisor, had two children who received the much-needed supplies.
"This large amount of participation from the Kuwaiti people means great things for our
children," Abdul-Mahdi explained. "This is really a historical moment - the Kuwaiti and
Iraqi people have never attained this level of communication and trust. I hope these type of interactions will be more commonplace in the future."
After the children had been ushered home by parents and teachers, Sara Al-Awadhi sat
back, and with a pleased countenance, summarized the day's events.
"The future of Iraq lies in the children," she explained. "If we can reach their hearts, the people will follow."