International Medical Corps Assists People of Sadr City

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Baghdad’s Sadr City district has been hit by fierce clashes between U.S. and Iraqi forces and local militias causing shops and markets to close. A curfew now in its third week has kept families indoors preventing them from reaching stores to restock critical supplies of water and food.

Since last week, International Medical Corps (IMC) staff is assisting the most vulnerable families in Sadr City. IMC's local staff in Al Sadr City are supported by reliable community leaders who help reach the most vulnerable populations. This network that IMC established and has maintained since 2003, is now distributing one month’s worth of food to poor families – including rice, cooking oil, sugar, beans, and flour – as well as potable water and essential medical supplies. Obstacles such as mines and sniper fire in the main streets make accessing the area and providing assistance very difficult.

“After three weeks of curfew people feel the effects in every part of their life,” says Agron Ferati, International Medical Corps country director in Iraq. “The oppressive nature of curfews further compounds the deep-rooted problems ordinary Iraqis have to deal with every day.”

For the residents of Sadr City life is growing more miserable by the day. Food is running out and people are clearly in need of assistance. Fresh produce is completely depleted. Electricity shortages occur daily in Baghdad, even at the best of times. People are unable to drive to petrol stations to restock on fuel for generators. However, now, even if they made it to the petrol station, they would find supplies depleted.

To avoid further disruptions in critical care regional hospitals are receiving much needed medical supplies from International Medical Corps that will help them to better cope during curfews and administer life-saving care to patients.

With food supplies initially located within the midst of fierce fighting around Jamila Market and access restricted for all civilian vehicles, International Medical Corps staff improvised a network of wheelbarrows to transport the goods from the stores. Trucks were positioned at the nearest accessible point to ferry the foodstuffs to the areas targeted for distribution.

In order to keep a low profile and minimize the risk to beneficiaries by air strikes, International Medical Corps staff established a low-key distribution center in a residential house. Food was given out to small groups to avoid attracting attention.

In anticipation of increasing scarcity of essential supplies, International Medical Corps has strategically pre-positioned 1,500 food packages and has two additional emergency medical supply distributions planned for hospitals in Sadr City. Since March 25th, when fighting in Al Sadr City began, International Medical Corps has distributed 2,000 food packages and 275,000 liters of water, including four shipments of critical medical supplies.

International Medical Corps has continuously worked inside Iraq for the last five years and will continue to assist to the most vulnerable Iraqis.

Contact
In Washington: Natalia Cieslik, ncieslik@imcworldwide.org, 202-828-5155
In Baghdad: Debbi Morello, dmorello@imcwolrdwide.org, +964 790 1912163