Background

According to UNAMI (United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq) there were 36,000 wounded in 2006, although the figure is much higher. This translates to about 100 casualties per day. Each wave of seriously injured patients further depletes the already limited medical stocks that are available.

According to WHO (World Health Organization) the health system in Iraq has suffered gradual deterioration over the past 15 years and is now severely ill equipped to deal with the enormous demands now placed upon it every day. Indeed, it is doubtful whether any health system would be able to cope in such circumstances.

In each attack scores of people lose their lives and an even greater number becomes disabled and needs special attention. Unfortunately because of the invasion troop's mistakes, international terrorism, and the attacks of Saddam's loyalists, the lives of ordinary Iraqis have become even more difficult, and their suffering has increased. Persons who became disabled and lost their ability to walk urgently need a wheelchair to give them some independence, allow them a degree of self-sufficiency and relieve the pressure on their families. However, it is far beyond the financial means of most families to purchase a wheelchair.

Beneficiaries

This project was originally designed with the aim of providing a wheelchair to the neediest handicapped persons in Karbala, but IRAC soon began to receive requests from other cities. Therefore, the scope of the project was broadened and handicapped persons in Karbala, Najaf, Diwaniya, Al Kut and Basra received wheelchairs.

So far, two phases of this project have been implemented. The first phase, during which 73 handicapped persons received a wheelchair, was finished in December 2007. A separate report for this phase has been submitted. Table one shows statistic information on the 73 beneficiaries of this phase:

Table two offers the same kind of statistics for the second phase of the project, terminated on 8 April 2008, during which 49 handicapped persons were provided with a wheelchair:

A total of 122 handicapped persons benefited from this project so far:

Implementation

IRAC selected the beneficiaries according to a set of criteria that determines vulnerability and need. The most important criteria were:

• The degree of disability of the beneficiary
• The family's income and its source
• The number of family members depending on the head-of-family
• The family's living conditions (presence or absence of basic household equipment)
• Whether the family lost one or more of its members due to persecution by Saddam or terrorist violence
• Families headed by a woman

IRAC's team prepared a form that has to be filled in for each beneficiary. The form consists of four sections:

Section one: Basic information on the beneficiary: full name, address, phone number (if any), date of receiving the wheelchair and a space for the beneficiary's signature to confirm receipt.

Section two: This section contains basic information about the person who introduced this beneficiary. The introducing person is known to IRAC as a trustworthy individual.

Section three: This section is reserved for notes and remarks by the project manager.

Section four: This section is a pledge the beneficiary has to sign before receiving the wheelchair. The pledge says: "I, the undersigned, confirm that I have received a wheelchair from IRAC for my own personal use. I have been informed that according to the rules of Islamic law (Shari'a) it is not permissible for me to sell the wheelchair or trade it in for something else because IRAC remains its legal owner."

In addition to signing the pledge, each potential beneficiary was asked to provide IRAC with copies of at least two different ID documents, two recent photographs, and a medical report confirming that he/she needs a wheelchair, In some cases, IRAC had to pay for the medical report because the potential beneficiary could not afford the physician's charge for such a report. As there was no budget line for these expenses, IRAC carried them from its administrative fee.

For the second phase of this project, IRAC purchased a number of special wheelchairs for children and some wheelchairs including a bedpan for those who cannot use a toilet.

IRAC's and LFT's logos have been painted on the back of the wheelchairs. This served to emphasize that IRAC remains the legal owner of these wheelchairs and the beneficiaries are not allowed to sell or exchange  them under any circumstances. 

The following table shows the number of wheelchairs distributed each month and the location of distribution:

The reason for not purchasing any wheelchairs in January and February 2008 was that wheelchairs had become scarce on the market and prices had therefore gone up. As this was a temporary bottleneck, IRAC preferred to wait with further purchases until prices were back to normal.

Expenditure

The following table shows the cost of purchasing and distributing during the first phase of the project.

The following table represents the cost of purchasing, and distributing during the second phase of this project.

The exchange rate was 1,222 IrqD per US$.

The remaining balance on December 31, 2007 was US$ 2,904.80. IRAC purchased 48 wheelchairs and the cost of purchasing and distributing them was US$ 4,562.35 thus the imbalance on this project till April 10, 2008 is US$ 1,657.55. Please take this imbalance into consideration in your next transfer so we can close the project accounts. Meanwhile it will be appreciated if you can transfer enough funds to purchase at least 100 more wheelchairs because there is a big demand for them in Karbala, Najaf, Diwaniya, Al Kut, and Basra.

Conclusion

Due to the present situation in Iraq, many people are suffering from the insufficient health system. There are handicapped people who have not left their homes for years because they can not afford to pay 70 to 90 dollars for a wheelchair. Many of them became disabled due to terrorist attacks or due to bullets fired by the coalition troops. Disabled and handicapped persons are in need of special care and attention. One of their most basic needs is a wheelchair. Providing a disabled person with a wheelchair returns a degree of independence to him or her, thereby reducing not only the physical, but also the mental and emotional suffering of such a person.

In these two phases of the project, 122 severely disabled persons were provided with a wheelchair. Six more wheelchairs are available in IRAC's storage that will soon be handed over to other needy disabled persons.

Signed: Management, IRAC, Iraq

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Yours sincerely,

Amirali G. Karim

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