Children of Anbar receive new “Arabic Libraries”

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Story and photos by Sgt. Dorian Gardner

KARMAH, Iraq – As children stood peering over short walls and massing in front of Al Khaloud School in Karmah, Iraq, Marines dismounted their vehicles and unloaded 68 sets of Arabic books to provide the children with a new Arabic library, May 24, 2009.
    Designed to inspire an appreciation for literature in Iraqi society, Scholastic’s “My Arabic Library” is a reading program that focuses on students at the elementary level.  The library includes classroom sets of reading material for the students as well as training materials for instructors.  This program supports many schools across the Al Anbar province and approximately 4,000 schools throughout Iraq.  
    Recently, the Anbar Provincial Reconstruction Team arranged to supply major cities in the province, to include Karmah and Fallujah, with these libraries.  After receiving the shipment, Marines loaded their vehicles and hit the road.
After a short convoy to the school, Marines parked two flat-bed 7-ton trucks before others dismounted and removed securing straps that held down the books during their transit from Camp Baharia.  This program has worked closely with the Anbar PRT in an effort to better equip Iraqi school teachers with the tools needed to teach the children of Iraq.
“We ordered as many as we could take for the province because we knew it was a good thing,” said Leslie Sabbagh, Public Diplomacy Officer, embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team.  “We ordered 240 sets, ranging from 145 to 200 books per set, and distributed them throughout the Iraqi Province.”
Sabbagh went on to say that there is a need for books in Iraq.  With a multitude of rebuilding projects taking place throughout the country, school books are not a top priority.  These books meet that need.
“It’s been a long time since anyone turned their time toward Karmah education,” said Sabbagh.  “Sometimes it comes down to what you can give them. Right now, we can give them books.”
Sabbagh accompanied Capt. Jordan Barnett, the information operations officer for 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6, and a small security team of Marines into the Karmah district to deliver these books.
“These books help a lot,” said Lance Cpl. George Walker, Combined Anti-Armor Team White, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, RCT-6.  “Because of our help, they are now able to support themselves.”
As Marines began to unload boxes, children rushed to help them carry the books  into the school yard.  As the day drew on, the pile of books grew larger and larger as Marines carried the last of the books to the school yard.
Though this mission went as planned, it could not have happened without the aid of the Iraqi government, said Sabbagh.
“The government supported and appreciated the initiative,” said Sabbagh. “It couldn’t have happened if the government didn’t want us to do it.”
The following day, Barnett and his security team went into Fallujah and Saqlawiyah to deliver the remaining books to education supervisors.  Considered an overall success, the children’s new Arabic library is one of many developments Iraqi children have to look forward to.
For more information on the ongoing mission in Iraq’s Al Anbar province, visit www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/iimeffwd.