Students line up to receive school supplies, toys and treats from U.S. Soldiers during an October 2009 supply delivery to the St. Efram Elementary School in Basrah. Photo by Spc. Stephanie Cassinos

U.S. Soldiers here recently visited students in a unique, multi-cultural learning environment to drop off school supplies, treats and even guitars.

The students of St. Efram Elementary School, eager to make the Soldiers feel at home, performed a couple of classics in English, including “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and the English alphabet.

Bishop Imad Al Banna, the acting bishop of Basrah, explained that St. Efram is one of two kindergartens in the country sponsored by the Chaldean Church to combine children of mixed religions in one learning environment.

“They are the future and hope of Iraq,” Banna said of the children. “It’s very important that they grow together with peace, love and good ideas.”

By learning together, children of mixed religions and backgrounds set the groundwork for a generation that is more accepting of its own cultural differences, the bishop explained.

“When you teach children together, they learn to become one nation,” he said. “They learn more about their country and culture and become united. They learn to love and serve by love and not war.”

As Iraq continues to develop and progress in spite of decades of oppression, violence and religious conflict, Banna noted, there is more to building a nation than material endeavors.

“We now understand how to build bridges and hospitals,” he said. “Now, we need to understand how to build the human.”

St. Efram accomplishes this by introducing its culturally diverse students to a variety of subjects, including art, math, science, music, English, Arabic and other languages. The mixed-gender classes include children from Muslim, Christian and Sabean families. Many former students have gone on to pursue college-educated careers, such as medicine and engineering, and now their children are following in their footsteps.

“When they get out, they always have higher grades, because they begin their education early,” Banna said.

Although enrollment is high, St. Efram lacks the classrooms and staff to accommodate all who apply. This year, 250 families wanted to register their children, but the school could admit only 165 students. The other school, Albeshera, has 190 students.

Many impoverished families live in the area and cannot afford to pay tuition, but because some families are able to pay more, the community and church can provide needy children with the opportunity for an early education.

“In the future, when these children know someone cared for them, they will care for others,” Banna said. “It will build the love.”

DVIDS
By Army Spc. Stephanie Cassinos, Multi-National Division – South

U.S. Soldiers with the 606th Forward Support Company, 1-377th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, conduct civil reconnaissance of the Hartha Water Treatment Plant in Basrah, Aug. 19. Photo courtesy of 17th Fires Brigade.

Some citizens of Basrah lived without clean, running water for cooking and hygiene. Following a recent inspection of the Hartha Water Treatment Plant here, the 17th Fires Brigade aimed to change that.

The plant, located 12 miles north of Basrah, was working at 30 percent capacity and considered almost non-operational by the time the U.S. contracted the Farden Group to renovate the plant for $420,000.

“That’s a small amount of money considering the amount of water that they have gained from this facility,” said Maj. Peter D. Hesford, 1314 Civil Affairs Company, Civil Liaison Team, 17th Fires Brigade project manager.

Hesford said the funding for such projects comes from the Commanders’ Emergency Response Program (CERP), an allocation of funds granted to deployed U.S. military commanders to initiate short-duration projects designed to alleviate urgent humanitarian need.

Hesford said the Hartha project fits such a need.

“We’ve just increased their water production by 15 percent with this water treatment plant alone and this is just the first of more to come,” he said.

Producing more than 100 million liters of treated water daily, this is the second largest plant in Basrah province and services the entire region’s population of almost 2 million.

“U.S. forces in partnership with the Government of Iraq are committed to providing the people of Iraq with treated water,” Hesford said. “With the refurbishment of this plant, we’ve provided the citizens of Basrah with more than forty million liters of water. That’s approximately 12 additional liters of water for each person in the city of Basrah.”

The completion of this water treatment plant marks only the beginning of the purification process for Basrah province.

Hesford said there are currently three water treatment plant refurbishment projects underway in the southern region of Iraq. They’re slated to begin in six weeks, and include the regions of Bradia, Jubalia and Ribbat, with the construction of a new plant set to begin at Zubayr.

“The 17th Fires Brigade is poised to leave Iraq in the hands of the local and federal governance and we’re increasing our efforts in the area of mentorship, while taking a harder look at how we apply our CERP dollars,” he said.

Through partnership with the U.S. State Department Provincial Reconstruction Team and local Iraqi leadership, Hesford said the 17th FB’s objective is not only to appropriately apply CERP resources but ensure each project’s sustainability through coming generations long after the departure of U.S. forces.

“These projects serve as an example of our commitment to assist and advise and to leave Iraq secure, safe and prepared for future economic expansion,” he said.

MNF-I
By Spc. Maurice Galloway, 17th Fires Brigade

For the last year, the country’s second largest city has been experiencing something it hasn’t known since the war began… safer streets.

Prior to January 2008, Basrah was known for being a dangerous city to live in; corruption and fear had been an everyday part of life for its citizens.

During an operation early last year, the 6th Regional Commando Battalion, along with the aid of coalition forces, took action to make Basrah a safer place.

“The city had become so bad that almost everyone except the RCB had given up on fighting the enemy,” the 6th RCB commander said. “The 6th RCB continually pushed forward and did missions to clear the streets in order to control the city.”

According to the commander, one of the biggest milestones in the operation was when the battalion was able to take control by going after the main leader of the terrorist activities in the area.

The leader of the terrorist movements acted as a warlord, said the commander. Everything from gang-related activities to attacks on Iraqi Security and Coalition forces were linked back to him, he added.

“He was responsible for killing people that opposed him, as well as… intellectuals like doctors and professors,” the commander explained.

However, the commander said things in the city slowly became better after the 6th RCB went in and arrested the insurgent leader.

“Things progressively went back to order in the city,” said the commander. “Government employees were able to go back to work and people were able to go about the city without fear of being attacked.

“Before, when all the attacks were at their highest, people were afraid to be on the streets at 3 p.m. Now people are free to be out at night and travel around the city.”

Now that the city has become a safer place, it is important for the 6th RCB to continue to train and be ready for whatever they might face in the future, said the commander.

He explained that two of the most important things to be trained on are weapons maintenance and operation.

“The use of weapons like the .50 [caliber] and the 240 [automatic rifle] have been extremely important,” said an Iraqi officer in the battalion. “We use those weapons in battle and it’s important [for the Soldiers] to be well trained in their [use].

“Training in general is important because proficiency doesn’t come when you do something just once or twice, but over long periods of training.”

Soldiers in the 6th RCB train constantly in different areas of combat to be prepared for anything, the Iraqi officer added.

DVIDS
Story by Spc. William Hatton