A public health nurse gives an immunization injection.

As reported here on May 16, schools across Pennsylvania were forced to ban students from attending as part of an effort to catch up on required immunizations and record keeping. Reports suggest that the effort payed off in many school districts. It took eight months plus two weeks, and the exclusion of hundreds of students to reach that end.
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Sons of Iraq and school administrators reopened the al Alemia School in Arab Jabour, March 16.

The school, closed for the past eight months, was once used by insurgents as a base of operations before efforts by Soldiers of Company C, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the SoI.

Sgt. 1st Class David Snyder, platoon sergeant of 3rd Platoon, said the SoI played a major role in clearing the school on March 7. Besides removing debris, the SoI also removed one 105 mm round filled with homemade explosives.

In the coming weeks, a local contractor will be hired to conduct repairs on the school, including painting, restoring electricity and building a playground.

Currently, nine of 14 classrooms are being used by six teachers to teach 53 students.

Re-establishing schools and the education system will help meet the 1-30th Inf. Regt.’s desire to see Arab Jabour return to a thriving community before redeploying, said Capt. William Lyles, of Hampton, Va., 1-30th Inf. Regt. battle captain.

Improving services and helping businesses are other main components of the plan to build Arab Jabour’s capacity.

Recently, the Yusifiyah pump station reopened, repairs to the city’s electrical grid were made and small businesses received microgrants from Baghdad-7 embedded provincial reconstruction team, attached to 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div.

“Basically, if the Iraqis take charge it will be successful,” said Snyder, a native of Midwest City, Okla.

DVIDS

Please not that this is being spearheaded by our allies from El Salvador.

DVIDS
Sgt. 1st Class Stacy Niles
214th FB, PAO

Three hundred students in the village of al Yousofia gained four new classrooms and a terrace at their school Feb. 7.

The addition at Adil Nassir Primary School expanded the school from eight rooms to 12 rooms and added a terrace, said Lt. Col. Tito Miranda, the 9th Cuscatlán Battalion’s civil affairs commander.

The school houses grades one through six and the addition helped relieve overcrowding at the school, said Miranda. After the sixth grade, some students continue their secondary education at the al Kut high school, but most go to work.

An agricultural community that grows onions, Al Yousofia village is home to approximately 500 families and has benefited from three other coalition projects – an improved road, a water compact union and a primary health care clinic, said Lt. Col. Carlos Tejada, the Salvadoran battalion’s civilian military cooperation commander.

“Iraq is a very rich country in natural resources, but it is very poor and the people lack a lot of basic services,” said Lt. Col. Roberto Soriano, the Cuscatlán battalion executive officer.

Al Yousofia village is one of the closest villages to FOB Delta.