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Westport, Conn. (March 18, 2008) - On the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in
Iraq, Save the Children is urging the United States and other donor nations to take decisive action to address the desperate plight of Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of
the ongoing conflict. The movement of families - including tens of thousands of children - is on a scale not seen in the Middle East since 1948. "Far too little has been done
to address the heightened vulnerability of Iraq's children caught up in this massive displacement of people," said Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Secretary General, International Save the
Children Alliance.. "Many Iraqi children have experienced incredible distress, the death of family members, the abandonment of homes, the loss of education opportunities, and broken
families, schools and lives," said Gornitzka. "From a humanitarian point of view, a rapid, comprehensive and robust international response is required to ensure they are
protected." Save the Children, which provides quality formal and informal education programs to tens of thousands of displaced Iraqi children and youth in Jordan and Lebanon, is urging
the international community to provide immediate, direct assistance to needy displaced families within Iraq and throughout the region. "Humanitarian organisations and U.N. agencies lack
sufficient funding to reach many displaced families, and children continue to suffer," said Dennis Walto, country director for Save the Children in Jordan. "At the same time, countries
providing sanctuary to Iraqis are seeing their education and health systems stretched to the breaking point. Rebuilding Iraq and rebuilding children's lives will take time. This mission is by no
means accomplished." Save the Children has been working in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Yemen for decades. The agency works to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more
than 120 countries.
Notes To find out more about our work to help vulnerbale Iraqi children please visit http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/media/newsdesk/2007-09-14.html To arrange interviews with
spokespeople please contact Save the Children US media office: 001 202-294-9700 To join our global debate on education and peace please click here.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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