AMAR appeal - AMAR International Charitable Foundation

“AMAR is a green oasis under the shade of whose trees Iraqi refugees have gathered to eat its fruits and drink its waters”
Zuhair Hayati, Iraqi Refugee and AMAR Employee

News Centre

Activities:

	Iraq
	Iran
	Afghan Refugees
	Lebanon
	Conferences
	Books

Financial details

AMAR worked in the marshlands from 1991 to approximately 1994/5 by which time the drainage of the marshlands was under way and 50,000 Marsh people had fled into Iran, where AMAR continued their care.

Since 27 April 2003 AMAR has been able to resume work in the Marshes. The Foundation started its public health activities by rehabilitation of the first primary health care centre in Basra. Now it has a total of eight fully functional clinics. These centres deliver primary health care services to a population of 41,033 Marsh Arab Sh’ia Iraqis. Services include supplying therapeutic, preventive and health education services. AMAR conducted a full needs assessment survey of medical provision for the Marsh Arabs at the request of the tribal leaders themselves. AMAR’s objective is to help extend the primary health care services rapidly throughout Iraq by rebuilding the primary health care system in the areas designated by the Iraqi Ministry of Health.

AMAR has continued close collaboration with field offices of UN agencies working in Iraq including WHO and the FAO. AMAR is now the NGO of choice of the Coalition Provisional Authority for all Marsh Arab matters.

To date the work has included:

·	Carrying out socio-epidemiological survey on the Marsh Arab population in May 2003,which included 83 villages.
·	Allocating positions of all the primary health care centres in the marsh villages.
·	Allocating the positions of all water treatment stations and schools in marsh villages.
·	Creating an expanded outreach medical team to visit villages.
·	Compiling statistics of both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
·	Creating therapeutic and educational responses to local disease prevalence.
·	Creating and updating database on demographic, socio-economic and epidemiological information on the Marsh Arab population, through surveys and medical file information. AMAR is also.
·	Initiating project proposals to establish Women Health Volunteer programmes Initiating project proposals for clean water and sanitation project in the Marshland area.