Great Ormond Street Hospital
To: naba.org.uk
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: Request for help
Thank you for your email. NHS hospitals are not permitted to treat patients for free (or at discounted rates) if they are
not eligible for NHS treatment. Our charitable funds cannot be used for individual treatment so our hands are tied.
Fully private hospitals can treat patients for free if they choose.
We do work with the charity Chain of Hope which funds some cases here, and they have an office in London. I do
strongly recommend that you speak to them. If funding was available, in principle I am sure we could help. we would
need full medical details in English and some guarantee the full costs of treatment would be paid.
Stephen Cox
Chief Press Officer
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust and the Institute of Child Health
3rd Floor, Ormond House
26-27 Boswell St
London WC1N 3JZ
Dear
Chain of Hope would only be able to assist with the children suffering from heart defects, and unfortunatley cannot assist with the children suffering from other conditions.
Thank you for the details about the Human Relief Foundation and further information about the work you do.
Your support is much appreciated.
I am sending a DHL to Baghdad to try and locate Dr.Iman Al Obedy and Dr. Nasser El Zohairy for their potential support of the
work of the Chain of Hope.
I have just written you a letter and am putting details of the children with eye defecets in the post to you,
Many thanks for your co-operation,
Lisa Yacoub, Programme Co-ordinator, Chain of Hope, South Parade, Chelsea, London SW3 6NP
Tel 0044 207 351 1978 / Fax 0044 207 352 1198 / www.chainofhope.org
Dear M Jalili
Thank you for your recent email regarding treatment. Unfortunately we cannot help on this occasion.
Kind Regards
Sean
Collins
Corporate Administrator
Trust Offices, Royal London Hospital
Barts & The London NHS Trust
Tel: 020 7377 7000 ext: 2629
Volunteer
drivers needed for project to Palestine
Two volunteer drivers are needed for an exciting venture to Palestine and back..
On July 13th , 2005 a business man from Chester will be driving to Palestine
with the /Caravan for Palestine/convoy to collect >Palestinian olive oil for
sale in the UK. The van will try to drive back via the Allenby Bridge
to Jordan, through Syria, Turkey and into the EU.
The intention is to develop
an overland trade route for fairly traded Palestinian olive oil, removing the
need to use unreliable shipping companies. The 3 to 4 week trip will also be an
act of friendship between the people of Palestine and Europe. Most of the costs
of the trip will be covered, but volunteers will be expected to pay for their
own living expenses such as food and accommodation, and obtain an international
drivers licence. A sense of humour is more essential than previous
experience.
If you'd like further details of this exciting venture, please contact mary@olivecoop.com
or 0161 273 1970. For general guidance on visiting Palestine, see
www.olivecoop.com or new guidebook 'Palestine and Palestinians'.
ISM London
Web: http://www.ism-london.org
Forum: http://www.ism-london.org/forum
The League for the Arabs of Jaffa
The League for the
Arabs of Jaffa was established in 1979 to provide the entire community of some
20,000 Arabs with a voice in public affairs. As an apolitical association
representing all, Christians and Muslims, the League has constantly placed
community issues on the public agenda and has presented alternative policy
guidelines both to official bodies and to the media. It has accepted the
challenge of fighting to secure the continued existence of this ancient Arab
community in freedom, equality and human dignity and making its own contribution
toculture, resolution of housing distress and education.
In the year of 2004 the League established "The Arab Democratic
School". The school had been a longstanding project to complement the
League's 25 year old kindergarten , but pressing educational needs of some 158
students triggered its foundation.
I hereby attach a preliminary
materials about the league and the school.
We would be more than happy
to provide you more details about its activities and its urgent financial
and other needs.
We will be more than happy to provide you any additional details about the
school.
Thanks in advance,
Yours sincerely,
Adeeb Machool
Fundraiser & Media
Consultant
00 972-50-8-658749
00 97236812290
email :adeebmachool@yahoo.com
The League for the Arabs of
The Arab Democratic School
of Jaffa
The Arab Democratic School
was founded by the League in Summer 2004. The school had been a longstanding
project, to complement the Leagues 25 year old kindergarten, but pressing
educational needs of some 150
students had triggered the foundation in 2004.
The League for the Arabs of
Jaffa was established, as an Ottoman Charitable Society in May 1979. A
representative body of the Jaffa Arab community, the League is a voluntary
organization, which aims to preserve the solidarity and cultural identity of the
local Palestinian Arab community. It also strives to voice local concerns about
planning and other governmental and municipal policies that target the area. The
League’s Board of Governors is an elected body, whose members serve a two-year
period.
The League maintains several projects to the benefit of the local community.
1) the Arab Cultural Centre contains a library and a computer literacy project. Major cultural and folkloric activities are offered ?activities rarely available to the community.
2) the Childhood Centre operates a kindergarten with an unique curriculum for children aged 3-5. The aim is to offer a program that prioritizes Palestinian culture and heritage while providing assistance to working mothers.
3) a Housing Rehabilitation
Project has been running since the mid 1980s. Community members in areas most
targeted by planning and zoning policies are offered the possibility to improve
their housing quality and remain in the area.
The Educational System which
serves the Arab community in
40-50%. Inappropriate
curricula, high teacher turnover and lack of support services all accentuate the
effects of rampant poverty and institutional discrimination. Divided as it is
between public Hebrew and Arab schools and private church schools, the system is
largely uncoordinated. Consequently, it is difficult, if not impossible, to
properly address the challenges that face the community as a whole. Parent
participation is at best marginal, with the effect of further alienating
students and educators. The end result is a weak performance of the entire
system and a dismal percentage of those satisfying the Israeli Certificate of
Matriculation (bogrut).
The Arab Democratic School
emerged from this background with the aim of, not only offering the community an
answer to pressing social challenges, but also a home to enhanced parental
cooperation and participation. Within the broader context, the school does
indeed offer an unique platform upon which parents have a say, participate as
equals in decision making and contribute to the definition of the school’s
vision and internal governance. The League strongly believes that the offering
of such opportunities to parents and educators places the community on solid
ground from which to implement effective educational strategies.
All decisions are made by
parents and teachers, with the full participation of the school’s
coordinator-principal.
The School is currently
housed in a rented building in
The economic burden of
operating the School has been assumed by the League, and this in addition to
monthly tuition fees from parents and contributions from members of the
community. However, the School is still in need of critical capital funding for
development of the full range of curricular and educational activities suited to
the local Palestinian community. We hope, eventually, to extend up to the
secondary level that will offer the Israeli Matriculation Certificate (bogrut).
The School’s vision is to
provide an educational setting that will contribute to the growth and maturity
of the learners, and this based on the following principles:
"Encouragement of
development of the individual "every student is entitled to respect of
his/her human rights and dignity "dialogue between diverse individuals is
critical for moral and social development? an important aspect of citizenship in
a diverse society and community respect for, and preservation of the environment
is key to social and communal life.
Within the School, adults and
students share in managing a democratic and inclusive culture, within which the
rules of conduct are determined with active participation of the
community. The School is currently establishing a joint student-teacher
committee to deal with disciplinary issues in a shared fashion, in the belief
that all should work together to resolve conflict and enable positive
communication.
Within the School’s
inclusive philosophy, each student meets with his/her personal educator once a
week, as part of the curriculum. The educator’s role is to provide teachers
and students with opportunity to clarify pathways for cognitive and e motional
development. In this affectionate and collaborative frame, the School is truly
child-centered.
Drama plays a central role,
in collaboration with other Arab and Jewish
schools. The project also aims to address current issues, in order to provide
students with comprehension and tools for participation in other cultures in an
atmosphere of respect and equality.
The Arab Democratic School
faces considerable challenges in finding the funding that will allow continued
activity over time. The School seeks to rely less on tuition fees collected from
economically disadvantaged families who wish to enroll their children. Their
presence is critical if we are to sustain social diversity while catering
equally for all, regardless of socio-economic background. Funds are also needed
to secure running costs of the project, including the payment of salaries
and legally mandated benefits, maintenance and physical upgrading costs.
Currently, the League tries to overcome the monthly deficit of $15000
by recruiting nongovernmental and governmental organizations to help the
school financially and looking forward for better future to the students.
The location of the School in
rented premises also adds considerable strain on resources, as does the ongoing
need for teaching training and professional development.
These funds are critically needed while we complete the process, now in
hand, of registration of the School with the Ministry of Education.
The running of the Arab
Democratic School as a community based project is in keeping with current
educational policies of the Ministry and the
Help us fill the shelves of Iraq's burnt-out libraries
The Sunday Herald is appealing to readers to donate vital
English-language books
By Alan Taylor
TODAY the Sunday Herald, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, is launching a unique campaign to restock Iraq's looted libraries. Amidst the shock over the plundering of priceless artworks from Iraq's National Museum of Antiquities, relatively little attention has been paid to the destruction of the nation's principallibraries. Now, however, to the despair of scholars around the world, the full extent of the damage is becoming clear. Many major research libraries in Iraq have been looted and burnt with the loss of hundreds of thousands of books and manuscripts, many of which may be irreplaceable. The National Library of Iraq in Baghdad has lost around half-a-million books and journals, including 5000 rare volumes. The University of Baghdad, which housed around 600,000 books, has been burnt down. The al-Awqaf Library, where 5000 Islamic manuscripts were housed, has also been looted and burnt.
These are just a few of the libraries which have suffered following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. Outside Baghdad, the story is depressingly familiar. In Mosul, about 900,000 books and journals in the university library were looted and burnt. The University of Basra has likewise been vandalised and pillaged. Countless thousands of documents representing the written record of public life and history of Iraq have disappeared or been destroyed. Because they are unique, many manuscripts may be lost forever. Books, however, may be replaced.
Inspired by Professor Yasir Suleiman, Director of the Edinburgh Institute for the Advanced Study of Islam and the Middle East, the University of Edinburgh and the Sunday Herald have joined forces in a unique bid to rebuild Iraq's libraries. 'The need for academic books in English for the university libraries in Iraq is very acute,' said Suleiman.
English is the medium of instruction in medicine, engineering, and the sciences. Post and undergraduates in the social sciences and the humanities use books in English for their research. Every Iraqi university has a department of English language and literature where the teaching is done in English. 'During the past 10 years, Iraqi academics took to selling their own personal libraries to supplement their incomes. For a scholar, the loss of a library represents a personal blow that strikes at the core of one's identity.'
In the past, Baghdad was a vibrant publishing centre. But during the past 15 years it has suffered badly. Crippled by rising public debts because of the Iraq-Iran war, and the effects of the UN sanctions, Iraqi universities have been unable to purchase books, especially books in the English language. 'I have received several appeals from Iraqi students in the past for books in English, and somehow managed to offer limited help when I could,' said Suleiman. 'When the Mongols, under Genghis Khan, sacked Baghdad in 1258, they destroyed its libraries. The event was recorded by the Arab historians as one of the darkest chapters in the history of the city in medieval times. Images of the looting of books and other historical treasures after the fall of Baghdad on April 13 will undoubtedly enter the annals of history as the modern equivalent of that distant, but not forgotten, trauma. 'Anything we can do to show solidarity with the Iraqi people, the Iraqi universities and a country mourning massive losses in its intellectual capital will help alleviate the trauma of a nation that has so much to contribute to our civilisation, as it has done so magnificently in the past.'
Already several publishers have generously agreed to donate their backlists in aid of Books for Baghdad, including Edinburgh University Press, which has pledged a copy of every book from its 1400-strong catalogue, and the Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate. The University of Edinburgh has been a seat of Arabic and Islamic learning in Scotland since 1751. Its department of Middle Eastern Studies is the only five-star rated department in the subject in the UK. Suleiman was elected to the Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies in 1990.
Professor Timothy O'Shea, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, said: 'The University is delighted to be able to do something positive and practical to help fellow academics in Iraq. Our Centre for Islamic Studies has long been one of the leading lights in the academic world in this area, and we are proud of this initiative to help the University of Baghdad in its hour of need.' Andrew Jaspan, editor of the Sunday Herald, added: 'We will continue to support the humanitarian efforts in Iraq, but Professor Suleiman's plan to ask Scots to help replenish Iraq's libraries and centres of learning seemed such a compelling idea that we thought readers could give their support after the war.'
Antonia Swinson, Society of Authors in Scotland Chairman, said: 'We wholeheartedly support the Books for Baghdad campaign. Giving some of our own books and asking our publishers to donate more, is the very least we can do. I am sure every sector of Scottish life will be looking to see how to help their opposite numbers in Iraq.'
Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, added: 'Books are a necessity for Iraq, not a luxury. 'Of course, a battered country in a state of transition needs water, food, the rule of law, but it also needs to kick-start its education system, to feed its hunger for intellectual sustenance. The EIBF is therefore committed to supporting this important campaign.' If you would like to donate to Books for Baghdad please contact Ian Revie of Edinburgh University at ian.revie@ed.ac.uk or Alan Taylor of the Sunday Herald at aftaylor2000@aol.com
Copyright © 2003 smg sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088
Back to previous page
A major project initiated by Prof. Yasir Suleiman of Edinburgh University. For details please refer to our Website.
If you would like to donate to Books
please contact
Ian Revie of Edinburgh University at ian.revie@ed.ac.uk
or
Alan Taylor of the Sunday Herald at aftaylor2000@aol.com
Sunday Herald - 18 May 2003
Help us fill the shelves of Iraq's burnt-out libraries
The Sunday Herald is appealing to readers to donate vital
English-language books
By Alan Taylor
TODAY the Sunday Herald, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, is launching a unique campaign to restock Iraq's looted libraries. Amidst the shock over the plundering of priceless artworks from Iraq's National Museum of Antiquities, relatively little attention has been paid to the destruction of the nation's principal libraries. Now, however, to the despair of scholars around the world, the full extent of the damage is becoming clear. Many major research libraries in Iraq have been looted and burnt with the loss of hundreds of thousands of books and manuscripts, many of which may be irreplaceable. The National Library of Iraq in Baghdad has lost around half-a-million books and journals, including 5000 rare volumes. The University of Baghdad, which housed around 600,000 books, has been burnt down. The al-Awqaf Library, where 5000 Islamic manuscripts were housed, has also been looted and burnt.
These are just a few of the libraries which have suffered following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. Outside Baghdad, the story is depressingly familiar. In Mosul, about 900,000 books and journals in the university library were looted and burnt. The University of Basra has likewise been vandalised and pillaged. Countless thousands of documents representing the written record of public life and history of Iraq have disappeared or been destroyed. Because they are unique, many manuscripts may be lost forever. Books, however, may be replaced.
Inspired by Professor Yasir Suleiman, Director of the Edinburgh Institute for the Advanced Study of Islam and the Middle East, the University of Edinburgh and the Sunday Herald have joined forces in a unique bid to rebuild Iraq's libraries. 'The need for academic books in English for the university libraries in Iraq is very acute,' said Suleiman.
English is the medium of instruction in medicine, engineering, and the sciences. Post and undergraduates in the social sciences and the humanities use books in English for their research. Every Iraqi university has a department of English language and literature where the teaching is done in English. 'During the past 10 years, Iraqi academics took to selling their own personal libraries to supplement their incomes. For a scholar, the loss of a library represents a personal blow that strikes at the core of one's identity.'
In the past, Baghdad was a vibrant publishing centre. But during the past 15 years it has suffered badly. Crippled by rising public debts because of the Iraq-Iran war, and the effects of the UN sanctions, Iraqi universities have been unable to purchase books, especially books in the English language. 'I have received several appeals from Iraqi students in the past for books in English, and somehow managed to offer limited help when I could,' said Suleiman. 'When the Mongols, under Genghis Khan, sacked Baghdad in 1258, they destroyed its libraries. The event was recorded by the Arab historians as one of the darkest chapters in the history of the city in medieval times. Images of the looting of books and other historical treasures after the fall of Baghdad on April 13 will undoubtedly enter the annals of history as the modern equivalent of that distant, but not forgotten, trauma. 'Anything we can do to show solidarity with the Iraqi people, the Iraqi universities and a country mourning massive losses in its intellectual capital will help alleviate the trauma of a nation that has so much to contribute to our civilisation, as it has done so magnificently in the past.'
Already several publishers have generously agreed to donate their backlists in aid of Books for Baghdad, including Edinburgh University Press, which has pledged a copy of every book from its 1400-strong catalogue, and the Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate. The University of Edinburgh has been a seat of Arabic and Islamic learning in Scotland since 1751. Its department of Middle Eastern Studies is the only five-star rated department in the subject in the UK. Suleiman was elected to the Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies in 1990.
Professor Timothy O'Shea, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, said: 'The University is delighted to be able to do something positive and practical to help fellow academics in Iraq. Our Centre for Islamic Studies has long been one of the leading lights in the academic world in this area, and we are proud of this initiative to help the University of Baghdad in its hour of need.' Andrew Jaspan, editor of the Sunday Herald, added: 'We will continue to support the humanitarian efforts in Iraq, but Professor Suleiman's plan to ask Scots to help replenish Iraq's libraries and centres of learning seemed such a compelling idea that we thought readers could give their support after the war.'
Antonia Swinson, Society of Authors in Scotland Chairman, said: 'We wholeheartedly support the Books for Baghdad campaign. Giving some of our own books and asking our publishers to donate more, is the very least we can do. I am sure every sector of Scottish life will be looking to see how to help their opposite numbers in Iraq.'
Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, added: 'Books are a necessity for Iraq, not a luxury. 'Of course, a battered country in a state of transition needs water, food, the rule of law, but it also needs to kick-start its education system, to feed its hunger for intellectual sustenance. The EIBF is therefore committed to supporting this important campaign.' If you would like to donate to Books for Baghdad please contact Ian Revie of Edinburgh University at ian.revie@ed.ac.uk or Alan Taylor of the Sunday Herald at aftaylor2000@aol.com
Copyright © 2003 smg sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088
Back to previous page
Yasir Suleiman
Sunday Herald - 01 June 2003
Support 'overwhelming' in our appeal to fill Iraq's libraries
By Liam McDougall, Arts Correspondent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UP to 10,000 books have been pledged to help restock Iraq's looted libraries, just two weeks after the Sunday Herald launched its unique Books for Baghdad campaign, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh.
Since the start of the campaign, designed to assist the country's recovery from the devastation that has affected its principal libraries and universities following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime, offers of help have flooded in from across the UK.
In particular, the need for English-language texts on medicine, engineering and the sciences is extremely acute. For these subjects, English is the medium of instruction, while post and under-graduates in the social sciences and the humanities use English books for their research.
In response to the crisis, Elsevier Science, one of the biggest medical science publishers in the UK, has pledged 'a substantial number' of books from its catalogue. The contribution will go towards restocking the depleted shelves in the country's university libraries.
Blackwell's bookshop in Edinburgh has also said it will give £5000 worth of its stock -- specifically books in the fields of chemistry, physics, computing and business studies . As well as pledging a
donation, the bookshop, at 53-59 South Bridge, Edinburgh, has agreed to act as a collection point for books that are being given to the campaign.
Professor Yasir Suleiman, director of the Edinburgh Institute for the Advanced Study of Islam and the Middle East, who inspired the initiative, described the response so far as 'overwhelming'.
'The Books for Baghdad appeal has really captured the imagination of the public. So far we have been given around 10,000 books and it has put us well on the way to achieving our target of collecting between 50,000 and 100,000 books.'
Individuals had even traveled to the University of Edinburgh from Fife and Inverness specifically to deliver boxes of books to help the campaign.
'A large number of people have also given offers of financial support but want to stay anonymous,' he added. 'In two weeks we have been given several thousands of pounds in this way as a direct response to the Sunday Herald and Edinburgh University's campaign.'
Among the organisations that have given their support to the campaign is the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies, one of the world's largest area-studies associations. The society will publicise the campaign at its annual conference in Exeter in July.
Already, several publishers have generously agreed to donate their backlists in aid of Books For Baghdad, including Edinburgh University Press, which has pledged a copy of every book from its 1400-strong catalogue and the Edinburgh-based publisher Canongate.
Others who have pledged help for the campaign but have wanted to remain anonymous, have given their support after the full extent of the damage in Iraq became clear.
Many of the nation's major research libraries have been looted and burnt with the loss of hundreds of thousands of books and manuscripts. In the chaos that followed war in the Gulf, the National Library of Iraq in Baghdad lost half-a-million books and journals, including 5000 rare volumes. The University of Baghdad, which housed around 600,000 books, has been burnt down.
Outside Baghdad, in Mosul, about 900,000 books and journals in the university library were looted and burnt. The University of Basra has likewise been pillaged.
'It is important that through this Scottish-led, British campaign we show our Iraqi colleagues that they have not been forgotten,' said Suleiman. 'We are confident that, in the coming weeks, offers of international support will be made. We look forward to offers of future help and support.'
If you would like to donate to Books For Baghdad please contact Ian Revie of Edinburgh University at ian.revie@ed.ac.uk or Alan Taylor of the Sunday Herald at aftaylor2000@aol.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2003 smg Sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088
Back to previous page
Re:
Medical Relief – A call to every decent man and women.
NABA, in conjunction with The Human Relief Foundation, are collecting unused
medical equipments/supplies from UK hospital to send to poor countries. An Iraqi
Chapter is currently sending valuable medical supplies to Iraq. We have the
support of many doctors/health workers. So far, we have managed to send around
900 mattresses, an Ambulance, 3 Anaesthetic machines, crutches, Zimmer frames,
hospital trolleys, bed linen, artificial limbs, support belts, socks, hearing
aids and many other materials and equipments.
These have a total value of £1.5 - 2 million pounds.
All these supplies and equipments proved to be most valuable for the
Iraqi hospitals and they are in great demand.
We ask you to help us to collect more materials and equipments from your hospital if you can, as most of the above materials and equipments, if not collected, usually go to the tips. If you want my help to explain to you more please get in touch.
We also wish to establish other chapters to address needs in other countries such Palestine, Sudan, etc. Volunteers are needed to coordinate this work with NABA and HRF.
Looking
forward to your support.
Dr R Hamdani, on behalf of NABA
Please send an email to naba@naba.org.uk and relief@arabhealth.co.uk
I am writing this email, with a lot of hope that the majority of people that receive
it will read and act on it, and not just hit the delete button. Leukemia is a bone
marrow disorder which has claimed the lives of many people. Studying in a hospital, I saw first
hand the pain and suffering some children go through
before they die. The sad thing is, it is a matter that most of us can do something
about.
I was shocked to find out that out of 360,000 volunteers registered with one of the biggest bone
marrow transplant trusts in the UK, there were only few hundreds or so Arabs. I personally came across
this issue by chance and was unaware of it. Thats why I'm certain that once this email gets around,
we will see a big difference. For those who don't know, the chance of a match being successful, is greatly
increased if you are from the same ethnic origin.
So if there is a young Arab kid dying of leukemia in the UK, the chances of him/her receiving a successful
transplant is limited to the number of Arabs registered.
Most of us can perhaps make a difference to someone's life by registering with a bone marrow trust. In the
UK, there are 3 trusts; 'The Anthony Nolan Trust', 'The British Bone Marrow Register' and 'The Welsh Bone
Marrow Donor Registry'. You only need to join one as patient searches are automatically
referred to each of the three.
WHAT TO DO:
1- Go to either of the trusts websites to find out more and perhaps see where and when you can register.
The websites are as follows:
a- The Anthony Nolan Trust
http://www.anthonynolan.org.uk
b- The British Bone Marrow Register
http://www.blood.co.uk
c- The Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry
http://www.welsh-blood.org.uk/wbmdr.html
2- Distribute this message to Arabs you know living in the UK, preferably to big mailing groups such
university Arabic societies, mosque/church mailing
groups, Islamic societies, and others.
This important and can save many lives ... If you have any questions/ inquiries, please email me at
mo_khalifa@hotmail.com.
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