Thirty-four year-old statistics expert Abdulwahab Hmood taught at university before joining the Iraqi Red Crescent two years ago. In his own words, it is the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement that give Hmood the strength to cope with the difficulties he faces daily.
During a recent training course given by the Turkish Red Crescent in Ankara, Hmood spoke to International Federation Regional Communication Officer Elif Unal Arslan about his work with the Iraqi Red Crescent under the current situation.
Elif: Can you tell us about yourself? What is your role in the Iraqi Red Crescent?
Hmood: My name is Abdulwahab Hmood. I have been working in the Iraqi Red Crescent Baghdad Branch for the past two years as a deputy to the branch chairman and a public relations consultant.
Elif: Why did you join the Iraqi Red Crescent?
Hmood: From a humanitarian perspective, I joined the National Society in order to help my country’s people who face distress on daily basis, in order to reduce their woes and suffering.
Elif: What did you do before joining the Red Crescent?
Hmood: I was working as a professor at a university. I did my masters degree and started working as a statistics instructor. I wanted to serve all the people of my country and that’s why I joined the Iraqi Red Crescent. I could not have achieved my goal with another organization, because the Red Crescent assists everyone.
Elif: What kind of assistance does the Iraqi Red Crescent Baghdad Branch provide and to whom?
Hmood: The Baghdad branch has some 44 offices located in city neighbourhoods. There are 344 personnel working at the Baghdad Branch headquarters and offices in the neighbourhoods. Each office has separate tasks to fulfil, such as providing in-kind assistance, nutrition assistance, youth services and support, health services, as well as cultural and social services.
Elif: Can you be a little more specific on the services you mentioned?
Hmood: In-kind assistance includes the distribution of goods such as clothing and kitchen utensils. Nutrition assistance means distribution of food items - and that is being done regularly on monthly basis. Youth services and support include attracting youth to the National Society and providing them with vocational training to help them find a job through which they can earn their daily bread. Carpentry, tailoring and ironworking are among the courses provided.
Elif: Are you recruiting the young people you train as Iraqi Red Crescent volunteers?
Hmood: Sure, sure. This is the only condition for young people to attend our courses. We, at the Baghdad branch have about 3,000 active volunteers. When I say health services, I mean first aid training. We organize this first aid training even at primary and secondary schools, in coordination with the Ministry of Education.
The Baghdad Branch, together with the Ministry of Health and the municipal authorities, has opened seven hospitals which include surgical and internal medicine wards. But the Iraqi Red Crescent plays a key role in those hospitals since it is the Red Crescent that meets the needs for medical equipment, medicines, etc. Sometimes we buy these items, and at other times they are donated by neighbouring countries. The Iraqi government also provides us with financial assistance. As a part of our cultural and social services, we organize literacy courses, together with the Ministry of Education in which some of the teachers are our volunteers. We also organize group weddings, as well as provide care services for the elderly and orphans.
Elif: Have you ever witnessed a violent incident?
Hmood: No not me. But my workmates, whom I regard as my close friends, my family, they have witnessed some. We are generally present at the scene after a violent incident has taken place. We provide first aid and take the injured to hospital for further care. We reach and enter areas that Ministry of Health workers cannot access. That is possible for us because we are working independently and respecting the principles of neutrality, impartiality and humanity.
Elif: Considering the joint activities that you carry out with the government, as you have explained, how do you ensure that the general public is convinced about your impartiality and neutrality?
Hmood: We do our best. We help everyone, without discrimination. But there is violence in Iraq on daily basis and this puts us at risk too. But we have to do our work. We simply cannot sit back and watch what is happening. We have to take risks and help those who need and ask for our help. We have lost workers in violent incidents. They were killed.
Elif: How do you cope with this situation?
Hmood: We strongly believe in the fundamental principles that are also the principles of the Iraqi Red Crescent. That belief supports us, empowers us and helps us to continue our work.
Elif: But surely you must take some precautions?
Hmood: Of course we take precautions but we are doing this completely independently. We receive no support from any of the confronting parties and we are not siding with any of them.
We are working in a very risky environment. We know the risks and we know it is dangerous. Everybody working at the Iraqi Red Crescent knows that after they leave home in the morning for work, there is no guarantee that they will be able to return in the evening. We have some 18 Red Crescent workers who have been killed since 2003. But we help any Iraqi who asks us for help.
Elif: It must be very hard to cope with those tough and dangerous conditions emotionally. How do you and other Red Crescent workers manage?
Hmood: My mission is to serve people, people who are in need. When I think of my mission I feel strong and that feeling helps me to overcome difficulties. I was earning more when I worked as an academic. But my aspiration is to serve people, and not to accumulate material gains.
Elif: Does the Iraqi Red Crescent provide any psychological support to its workers?
Hmood: We have a psychological support department which provides services to all, including our staff. The workers in that department are experts in that field and they are also volunteers.
The volunteers and staff members at the Baghdad Branch work very closely together and they see each other as the members of the same family.
Elif: What do you find most difficult to cope with?
Hmood: Some friends were kidnapped from the branch in December 2006. Twelve workmates, friends of mine, were abducted. At the time I was in Turkey for a conference and I got the bad news here. I was shocked because they were like family for me. Apparently unidentified armed people raided the branch. Initially they kidnapped 44 people and they released most of them afterwards. But these 12 are still missing.
Elif: Are there any rewarding moments?
Hmood: I remember a clothing distribution to some orphans. We gave them about 5,000 pieces of clothing. They lost their mother, father, and their relatives in the violence. It is our responsibility to look after them. I myself have two children. But the happiest moment in my life is when I see the orphans’ sparkling eyes when they receive clothes. A smile on the face of an orphan or a sparkle in her or his eyes is enough for me. It is more valuable than anything else in the world.
Elif: Thank you.