Brethren Witness-Washington Office - Peace and Justice

"Failure to thrive" is the medical term for children whose bodies don't put on weight—like this child who weighs six pounds at one year of age. Malnutrition affects 55 percent of Iraqi children; prior to the imposition of sanctions, childhood obesity was the number one health concern for Iraqi parents. Photo by David Radcliff

A child leukemia victim. Noora Ibrahim's father said simply, "Please take her picture." Rates for childhood leukemia are three times higher than before the war. Many attribute this to the lingering effects of the depleted uranium the United States used to coat—and harden—munitions during the Gulf War. Photo by David Radcliff

Eleven years of economic sanctions on Iraq have had horrendous consequences for the children of Iraq:

55% of Iraqi children suffer malnutrition
an Iraqi child has on average 14.4 cases of diarrhea per year from drinking impure water
children regularly die from infectious diseases that would be easily treatable with proper medication
one in eight Iraqi children dies before the age of five

The sanctions, called the harshest in history by UNICEF staff in Baghdad, keep the nation from importing equipment for water purification and electricity generation, as well as medicines needed to treat common diseases. In additions, childhood leukemia and abnormal births have soared in the past 10 years–thought by many to be the result of radiation given off by US munitions used in the Gulf War. All in all, UNICEF estimates that the sanctions have led to the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children in the past 11 years.

A December 2001 Church of the Brethren delegation saw the effects of the sanctions firsthand and heard many messages like this one from Metropolitan Seleba of the Syrian Orthodox Church. "The spirit of the people is strong, but the suffering is great. Take this message to your people– we consider the Christians in America to be our brothers and sisters in Christ. They will be affected by what you say."

Church of the Brethren congregations sent over 3000 Ramandan and Christmas greeting cards to the Iraqi people with the December delegation. Now Iraqis from all walks of life ask us to send cards to our government, calling for an end to the economic sanctions.

Congregations are invited to take part in the postcard campaign. Contact the Brethren Witness office for a color display and postcards featuring an Iraqi mother and child.

Name:______________________________
Congregation:___________________________

Address (___ Home or ___ Congregation):________________________________________

City:________________________________ State:_____ Zip:______ Phone:____________

We will need _____ postcards along with the display and guidelines

Send to: Brethren Witness Office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120

Contact: (800) 323-8039 ext. 228 or 229 or e-mail witness_gb@brethren.org