THE EDITOR, Sir:
AS I lay down with my 19-month-old son, putting him to sleep, I couldn't help but think how nice it must feel for him to be warm, comforted and safe in my arms, in a country that is not being rained upon by a 'shock and awe' campaign. I thought about the things many of us take for granted, food, shelter and safety.
The longer I lay there envisioning the terribly different picture in Baghdad one that will be this way for some time to come I couldn't help but feel, in addition to the outrage, a great sadness for the children of Iraq.
We adults understand the politics of the situation. We understand why, whether or not we agree with it, the might of the US is being utilised against Iraq. But as a child, how could you possibly understand this situation? How could you possibly understand that one day it will end and life will go on? IF you survive. As a child, imagine how terrifying it must be.
I called my sister in New York, who works for UNICEF, one of the primary agencies leading the humanitarian effort in Iraq. I called her simply to find out, what can I do to help? Her answer was fairly simple. 'We need donations.' I urge all of the people who have expressed their outrage and disappointment about this war to support the work of this agency and others, such as Save the Children and the Red Cross. Their work hinges on the funds they receive; they simply cannot do all they would like without sustained funding.
My sister also shared some sombre facts with me. A full 50 per cent of the population of Iraq is under 18. Out of this number, one in four children under five years old are chronically malnourished. As she put it, UNICEF is not just worried about instant deaths, but about the lingering effects of this war in a country that has seen it all before and has not yet recovered. Many of these children simply won't survive this time around.
I am etc.,
ANNMARIE THOMPSON
thompsons_da@msn.com
Barbados
Via Go-Jamaica
