And finally, one of the voices that has reached into the heart of my personal and professional life, Zainab Salbi. She was only 11 years old when her father was chosen to serve as Saddam Hussein's personal pilot. Her mother eventually sent Zainab to America for an arranged marriage, but the marriage that was intended to save her turned out to be another world of tyranny and abuse. Zainab started over. She forged a new identity as a champion of women survivors of war and founded Women for Women International. Through this respected international charity Zainab has created a way for women to contribute to their own, as well as their family’s, financial security - by supporting the setting up of their own businesses. She does this through corporate and individual international sponsorship which funds grants and on-the-ground education and business training programmes. 6,500 Iraqi women have participated in her programmes so far.
The need to reach the Millennium Development Goal of Education for All, whilst maintaining educational elite (capable of the most innovative ideas and research) is one of the dichotomies that is presented by globalisation. Harnessing the power of the diaspora in order to feed human capital and skills transfer programmes in the region is already starting to be part of the solution in Iraq.
Technology, in particular focussed Educational Technology, can help build the crucial links that allow the voices and expertise of the diaspora to collaborate on a world-wide stage. This creates, for Wissal and others like her, the prospect of an Iraqi homeland that exists on the world-wide-web…
Madeleine White is Head of Strategic Partnerships for Whizz Education. A former teacher and mother of, 3 she is passionate about education, communication and CSR and has written extensively around her experiences.
Since starting in 2004, Whizz Education’s mission has been to raise standards in Maths. Maths-Whizz is used by thousands of 5-13 year olds in 8 countries, with major growth coming from the USA, the Middle East and Russia. By mid-2013, Maths-Whizz is expected to have launched and rolled out into 10 markets. To support this model of sustained, positive growth, Maths-Whizz is supported by Whizz Education offices in London, Seattle and Dubai. Additional support is provided through authorised international partners. Whizz Education is looking forward to other international market entries in 2013 and always welcomes strong partner approaches to support further international expansion.
How about spending that money in our own contry? For god sakes, must we take care of evey country and neglect our own? Wake up america!!!
Hi Bob
Thanks for your comment. I am sure many will share your sentiments. However, it is worth considering this. Iraq is a country rich in natural resources, with the potential human resource ready and willing to make the most of things. By encouraging through initial funding seed projects that are able to contribute to overall knowledge share, information - building the knowledge economy, those natural resources can be catalysed. To you and to other Americans, Brits, Europeans etc. this means significant opportunities to turn the rebuilding of the physical and knowledge economy of Iraq into something that will build jobs ' at home'. Iraq is importing many skills, products and services. For example Samer's business is growing - she is now working with several others, job-creation by servicing the needs of a building nation. Rather than seeing the Ambassador's fund as money taken, see it as a short-term contribution, able to build long-term opportunities.
Dear Madeleine, many thanks for contributing to the redevelopment of good old Iraq. People have different ways of helping this injured nation. I am doing a non-profit hospital for diabetes in Baghdad. The latter took me 4 years and great deal of money due to corruption. The problem I think is not just help but how and who should be helped. Iraq need urgent strategy to rehabilitate its social serious damage due to 40 years of wars and prolonged boycott. The education of population starting with children, mothers and later fathers with social care of the orphans and needy is paramount. A percentage of oil income should be located for social rehab. There are millions of highly educated Iraqi's who unfortunately want to help Iraq by remot control. To those I would say that the killing in Iraq should have stopped the hundreds but thousands of foreign visitors and the excuse that they are terrified of terror is not acceptable. Help Iraq by physically getting Iraqi's to go home. Moderate force by European countries and US may be required. God bless, Allawi,MD