Rescue Iraq

The Joys of Art, Part 2

Well, the day finally arrived where we would put the children's designs into 'real' and 'permanent' art emblazing the Refuge Community Center walls, turning once greyness into cheery happiness and color.

This was how the wall looked before we got started.

 Not too pretty, eh.

So, we started with a base coat of light blue with some of the kids helping us out.

 There we go, starting to look better.

Then, the RISE Foundation folks showed up to integrate the kids into a full scale mural painting of the walls. Oh, boy, what have we gotten ourselves into???

But, they had a plan:

Lucy has done this thing before and quickly parcelled out the responsibilities for everyone and demonstrating how we were going to do this.

First we chalked the general designs across the entire length of the wall.

Then, we had a little demonstration of how to paint 'inside' the lines. Yes, please.

And, finally after mixing the paint time it was time to let the kids at it. Fortunately, it was perhaps one of the mildest December days we've had with a full, bright sun cheering us on. What a blast we had!!! What do you think?

 

 

The Joys of Art, Part 1

Well, when the RISE Foundation approached me with the idea of putting paint cans into the hands of 30 small children at the Refuge, you could say a little bit of anxiety erupted. But, that's exactly what we ended up doing with some incredible results, lending color and the kids' special designs to our community center project.

The first day, we gathered all the kids into the hall of the Refuge and gave the kids large sheets of paper to draw whatever they liked. We hoped this might be an opportunity for them to perhaps share with colors what they might not be able to share verbally.

The RISE Foundation has seen this technique effective in drawing out children who have been traumatized by the recent conflicts gripping the country, with some depicting very graphic images of how they saw the mass murderers of ISIS.

Our group of refugees or IDPs were fortunate to not have glimpsed the horror that is ISIS. They were informed from a sympathetic party in a nearby village that ISIS was coming that day, and thus, managed to escape but only just.

In looking at the children's artwork it seemed apparent that they have fond memories already of our community center and now refugee camp project by drawing the building with happy colors of the rainbow.

 

We managed to set up a camera in the ceiling to record this awesome time-lapse video of the event.

Rise Foundation Visits The Refuge from Tim Buxton on Vimeo.

After all the kids drew their pictures we gathered downstairs in the carpeted conference room where we discussed the 'stories behind the pictures'. I think it went really well, and now we've got to see if we can't get each of these kids a paint can without freaking out.

BBC accounts of civilians living in Mosul

Mosul diaries: A terrifying night

Civilians in Mosul face danger from the sky and the ground, as US-led coalition aircraft try to bomb Islamic State (IS) targets. The city came under the control of IS in June, with the group introducing a strict regime in line with their radical interpretation of Islamic law.

In a series of diaries, Mosul residents describe life under IS. Their names have been changed to protect their identities.

11 December 2014

From Mays

Our suffering due to the water shortage has turned into a state of fear that won't go away. 

My husband goes on to the roof every day to see if the water tanks have been filled by the electrical pump from the main water supply. 

On one unforgettably terrifying night, I decided to go on to the roof with my husband to help him. 

We suddenly heard a loud explosion followed by loud voices from the nearby street. 

We quietly and carefully shifted to peer at the road where we heard the explosion and the voices. 

We saw a group of Islamic State fighters shooting in the air, and I feared for my husband because they were banging on doors searching for men in the area in order to question them.

Trembling with fear

It turned out that the explosion was caused by a bomb planted on one of the IS vehicles.

Within a few seconds the terrifying sound of fighter jets filled the sky, and they starting bombing IS fighters. 

IS vehicles were full of ammunition and we kept hearing explosions for over three hours.

I was trembling with fear for my husband and my children and dreading the sound of the doorbell. But thankfully the aerial bombardment caused a great deal of confusion among IS fighters, and they didn't knock on our door.

When the sun rose we managed to see the extent of the damage to the houses and the street caused by the bombing.

We decided to leave our house and stay at a relative's place for a few days because I was afraid for my family.

Click here for the rest of the story

This is what we're up against.

In a recent newsletter published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) an incredible 'snapshot' of the humanitarian needs in Iraq emerged. I post it here and encourage a thorough look:

Outreach to Yazidis

When the American doctors came for a visit they wanted to see if they could reach out to some of the most needy refugee families in our region. After a few phone calls we were directed towards a Yazidi enclave of 16 families that were staying in an upper valley in makeshift accommodations and a few unfinished homes.

Instantly something struck our heart about these people, and we started playing games with the kids all around.

A couple weeks later we returned with a kerosene tanker to fill them up with enough kerosene for the next month. They had been gathering sticks in the hill sides to heat themselves, but now they can really get the warmth they need.

Please keep these needy families in your prayers as winter begins to settle in.

 Firewood collected from the hills that they don't have to use for a little while, hopefully.

Medical Clinic

This fall we held another medical clinic with the help of 3 talented and sacrifical American doctors: Warren, Earl, and Steve.

In just two days, with the help of the local ministry of health, they saw over 200 patients, many of whom had fled IS just the month before.

Here are some pics of that time:

Thank you: Doctors Steve, Warren, and Earl -- see ya' next year!

Thanks Drs. Earl, Warren, and Steve so much for taking time out of your schedules to come on over to share your skills with those in need.

- Billy Ray, Soran, Iraq

Finishing Touches

What a journey the past 3 months have been. We have never seen so many needs in our far flung mountian valley, but the IS push into Iraqi-Kurdistan in August forced over 2,000 families to flee all the way to our city. Of those 2,000, 20 found residence on our property at the Refuge Community Center.

Finishing the outdoor WC (bathroom and shower) facility became one of our first priorities as we continued construction on the rest of the building. The facility fits in nicely between the community center and the refugee or IDP camp.

It supplies an additional 6 bathrooms and 5 shower stalls.

The upstairs of the community center is structurally complete with the roof finally enclosed, small windows and two doors installed, the staircase finished out with a nice hand railing. The only things remaining are a sub-ceiling, heating/cooling units, sound system, and some appliances for the kitchen.

A couple weeks ago we had a group come to share some music and games with the children. The kids loved it, and we hope it is a sign of good things to come hosting our guests at the Refuge.