Iraqi Schools Are Renovated for New Semester

 

Wednesday  November 12, 2003

Renovation at school near Al Hillah funded by USAID grant

(This article by Ben Barber, a writer for the U.S. Agency for International Development, was first published September 25, during a visit to Iraq. The article is in the public domain with no restrictions on republication. For more information on U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq, please visit the USAID website -- http://www.usaid.gov/iraq)

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Iraqi Schools Are Renovated for New Semester

Students Find New Paint, Bathrooms, Windows & Fans At Repaired School Near Al Hillah

By Ben Barber

AL HILLAH, Iraq (Sept. 25, 2003) - Basmah Hassan, 11, smiles as she shows a visitor the newly-painted classroom she'll have for the new school year beginning in a week.

It's a far cry from the shoddy condition it was in last year, before USAID offered about $50,000 to the town to repair their school.

"They painted the walls, fixed the floors and made it pretty," said Basmah, who says English is her favorite subject.

"There was no fan in the ceiling and now there's a fan," she added.

The principal of the school, about a half hour drive outside of the Iraqi city of Al Hillah, south of Baghdad, said that aid workers held a community meeting to discuss the needs of the area and the people asked for the school repairs.

Improved water supplies and a new clinic were at first the top priorities for the community but they chose the school in the end since it would benefit the most people.

To prevent any theft of building materials or new equipment, the principal served as night watchman during the construction process.

"The school was not fit for people or to educate children," he said. "We still have a problem with overcrowding but it's a lot better than it was before."

The school was repaired by an Iraqi contractor hired by a non-governmental aid group funded by USAID. The project was carried out in cooperation with the Coalition Provisional Authority.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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