121Contact

Nov 8 2011 121Contact needs a classroom full of young artists

Hi.

We are looking for a classroom of grade school artists to exchange paintings and words with a group of Iraqi students.

The Iraqi NGO "Kids and Women Organization" has been providing art classes to grade school students for about one year. The students are between 5 and 14 years old. They live in the city of Numaniyah in Wasit province, in Southern Iraq.

We got to see their wonderfully expressive paintings during our recent trip to Iraq, and in talking with the organizers decided to build an exchange program that will be fun and educational for all involved.

The theme of the first exchange is "Everyday life" and the paintings will be accompanied by words describing one day in the life of the artist.

If you are interested please contact bruce@121Contact.org and we'll arrange the details.

Please pass this on to anyone you think might want to take part in this program.

In loving kindness,
Bruce and Nisreen

October 8-9, 2011 3rd Conference of the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative

Another Iraq is possible, with peace and human rights!

The ICSSI is hosting the 3rd Conference of the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative ans the 1st International Marathon in Iraq for Peace and Nonviolence. October 7-9 will find representatives from each of Iraq's 18 governates as well as scores of international representatives gathering together in support of practical projects that promote human rights and social justice.

They are all committed to inclusive, non-discriminatory, non-corrupt government. Most of all they are staunchly committed to non-violence and change within the rule of law.

These are some of the faces in the driving force that will create a just state from the ashes of years of dictatorship, war, invasion, and occupation. 

(from the 2010 conference of the ICSSI)

 You can join the discussion and support these brave Iraqis:   http://icssi08.ning.com/

Bruce Wallace, of 121Contact, will be facilitating the sessions on Iraqi Youth in the New Iraq, focusing on giving voice to the young Iraqis involved in the new movement, and learning from them what support they desire from international organizations and individuals.

So, be warned. We'll be back to you after the conference to let you know what you can do to help Iraq on its long road to more peaceful tomorrows.

September 9, 2011 by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact

If you are able to contribute cash for travel and expenses please contact bruce@121Contact.org

Sept 17 2001 Peace in Hastings-on-the-Hudson

It was a pretty tense day of driving lessons as N has decided to take the wheel. She's really good at it but it is true that there were times my face was pale with fear of eminent doom.

In a gift of relaxation we ended the afternoon at Susan Rutman's beautiful home overlooking the Hudson River, in one of these warm, welcoming gatherings to celebrate and raise a little money for “Sept. 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows” and “Military Families Speak Out.” Peace and Non-violence,  Love and understanding, with lots of activism thrown in for the sake of reality.

We did get a chance to speak (Do we ever miss a chance to tell a tale or two?), but mostly we bathed in the camaraderie of fellow travellers on the long, slow road to more peaceful tomorrows.

Excellent music, dance, sing-alongs, and  food were the ground on which we built new friendships, met folks we knew from other events, and renewed our faith in what for us is 'the American way.'

They were all there. The folk you will find in most of these events. And they were all so very, very nice. I remember coming home from one of these events, it seems like so many years ago, but it was only 10 years in the past, and remarking about the wonderful people I had met. Marilyn said, "So who did you expect to meet at a meeting about Peace and Non-violence?"

From our travels and readings we know that all across the USA there are other small groups of compassionate people, such as the Westchester County Concerned Citizens, that meet regularly, march, write letters to their representatives, and generally include in their lives enough democratic participation to make a difference. Oh, it's slow. we know.

Evolution along the moral/social plane/line is about as fast as land-line-connect-speed, but it is inexorable. The relentless nature of the Peace Movement means we will keep at it, no matter the pace, no matter the nay sayers, no matter the periods of doubt and despair. We will keep coming and our children will follow, and we will reach the inevitable end of a world rich in compassion, poor in violence, and bountiful in its shared treasures.

And if you don't like it you can bury your head in the sand and keep voting Republican.

[More pictures on Facebook]

Sep 14 2011 InterFaith NYC: Faith House Hosts Debbie Almontaser

In yet another showing of the heart of New York City, Faith House hosted an evening of "Discovering the Treasures of Islam in America." Debbie Almontaser's presentation was a personal account of an American woman's awakening to Islam, and how Islam in America holds a special place in the pantheon of religious experience. Readings from the Koran began the event.

No stranger to recent turmoil surrounding American Muslims, Almontaser (founding/former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy and founding board member of The Dialogue Project) brought wit and warmth to the room, enabling the evening’s primary activities of people of all faiths talking in small groups and then together. We shared tales of our different faiths, paths, and then food!

Faith House, I think, succeeded once again in bringing people together and breaking a little more of the walls that divide us. I spoke with 'progressive Muslims' here, got to talk to a rabbinical student, an atheist, and...well, you know, it is New York City after all.

Sept. 14, 2011 by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact

Aug 27 2011 Those Illiterate Women of Iraq

The United Nations defines an illiterate person as “someone who cannot, with understanding, both read and write a short, simple statement on his or her everyday life. One out of four Iraqi women are illiterate! The figure is lower for men, at about 11%. That leaves about 6 million Iraqis unable to express themselves in writing or read about the world around them.

This, after Iraq led the region in literacy for many years. In 1982 Iraq was awarded The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) prize for eradicating illiteracy. What happened?

Well, the 1980's sanctions took a big bite. Educational materials were on the list and everything from pencils, books, and computers were kept away from schools.The invasion and occupation that followed brought the final blows to the destruction of Iraq's educational system.

Following that was the US led invasion and occupation which resulted in the physical destruction of many schools by bombs, rockets, fires, looting, and wanton vandalism by US forces (among others).  When a school is bombed not only lives are lost. There is also a conviciton on the part of many parents that sending their children to school is not a safe option.

Then came the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) rulings that resulted in a) all Ba'athists being removed from thier government jobs. Almost all teachers were registered Ba'athists; an unstated requirement for employment, b) Salaries for teachers plummeted to about US$2/day forcing many to leave for other jobs or other countries, and c) a mass exodus of educators fueled by perceptions of dire futures and not to be under emphasized assassinations of educators. Many schools closed or became educationally ineffective child care centers.

In the last few years a great many students have left school to help their families earn money.

Althought the educational system is repairing itself, it is a painfully slow process. There is so much serious need in so many critical areas that Education is not high on the list of funding.

Is the United States reponsible for this mess? Sure, if you take the position "my country, my government, my war." Not, if you believe that Iraq should care for itself and "it's not our business to interfere." We find the latter view ludicrous in the face of what the US unleashed in Iraq.

So what can we do, as a nation, to help repair what we have broken?

Direct funding aid to Iraq's educational systems will go a long way to restoring Iraq to its former position as the intellectual and educational capital of the Arab world.

You can contact your representatives to ask that we, as a nation, begin to repair what we helped destroy. We can remove the troops, reduce expenses, and replace the expenditures with real aid to real people in real need.

 August 27, 2011, by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact

References: IndexMundi,   CIA.gov,  IraqSolidaridad , WorldBank