Company transported material free of charge, through hostile territory
Way back in June, my blog, as well as IraqSlogger, reported that the government of Kurdistan was in desperate need of medical supplies, especially insulin. The original plea for help came from Dr. A. O. Yones, the minister of health for the Kurdistan Regional Government. (this letter is available; please request it via vicki@paratusiraq.com)
One would think that this request would be rather simple as compared to the many missions being asked of us in Iraq. We had to negotiate the roads, sure, but we had the funding thanks to Fondation Danielle Mitterand France Libertes, headed by the former first lady of France, Danielle Mitterrand, and we had the medicines, thanks to
Marc Eichinger of API Capital and executives of Shinar Group. Plus, we had the local government and some local security officials involved. In fact, that was the first thing we did.
I felt it was crucial to foster non-partisan cooperation from all political and security forces within Kirkuk; this was instrumental in presenting a transparent process so there would be no question as to the honest purpose of the mission. Also critical was finding a balance among different factions to assure that the medications would receive proper attention and handling, and reduce the feeling of favoritism of one particular group over another.
A series of meetings took place, with the negotiations centering on the concept of not only delivering the medical supplies but ensuring that they remained secure from donor to recipient. Discussed in detail was the fear that some had experienced in the past by accepting aid; they had a strong fear of reprisals from terrorists.
I’d been talking up the concept of utilizing security as a platform for the successful management and delivery of aid for some time. It was my belief that if a more meaningful effort was placed on mitigating the factors that reduced the utility of aid donations – the black market, pilferage and the fear associated in many cases with simply receiving the aid – then the impact would be tangible and we’d have a much better chance at positively affecting those who need it most.
Paratus assured all of the administrators involved that with this new-found cooperation a better way of delivering aid to the most devastated areas could not only begin but be sustained through a series of high-level and quite sensitive planning sessions.
Another reason for reaching out to the leaders of Kirkuk was to invite them to see just what Paratus is, and to dispel any misunderstandings they had regarding private security in general and to make them aware of the other good deeds Paratus had done in the community. Paratus’ desire is to be a good corporate citizen in the community. This also gave us the ability to plan and conduct these deliveries with better operational security, because a strategy was drawn up that put recipients on notice of a delivery while not compromising the secrecy needed to plan and conduct the operations.
An outreach such as this is a staple ingredient in Paratus’ planning and in its role as local liaison without the loss of operational security. Once a foundation of trust is built, a greater amount of flexibility is allowed us as we perform these critical operations, and we don’t need to compromise individual programs or operations. Though I can’t go into detail, I put several methods in place to measure the success of the deliveries, so I can report back to the donor with greater reliability and assurance of the outcome.
So finally, on the 20th of September 2007, a delivery of insulin was successfully made to the Administrators of Kirkuk Iraq by Paratus Worldwide, a private security company located in North Central Iraq. Paratus delivered the medicines free of charge and coordinated the receipt, storage and ultimately the delivery of the medical aid.
Present to receive the insulin were a manger within the local hospital system, who accepted the donation; representatives of the Kirkuk PUK party; the Kirkuk PDK party; Atun Kopri Asha Eish; and the Iraqi National Guard. Kirkuk TV (PUK local station) and Kurdistan TV (PDK-run satellite TV) covered the event.
This specific, need-oriented and highly planned aid management concept is meant to replace the shot-gun approach used so often (and so unsuccessfully) in the past. In many cases aid distribution could not be followed up on due to security issues. So, the security-oriented-aid-delivery concept was born. This first of many deliveries was highly successful, and there are ongoing discussions to find a way to bring in cholera medicines as well as medical supplies to try and treat the blunt force and burn injuries associated with seemingly endless car bomb attacks. Paratus has encouraged the community’s leaders to be vocal about their medical and security needs so the company can respond with services that are most appropriate; this is rooted in Paratus’ belief that the community is best served by ongoing communications.
It is the hope of Paratus and all of those who worked diligently on this effort to introduce an even more aggressive approach to relieve the medical needs of the Iraqi people by targeting specific cities, and by providing a total package for responding to mass casualty incidents, as well as to use preventative measures in an attempt to reduce the impact the ongoing violence is having on the people of Iraq.
Paratus would like to thank the Minister of Health, Dr. Yones, whose continued support remains critical to the success of this effort. Also the Administrators of Kirkuk who put aside politics and religion and took a stand with Paratus to bring aid to the people of Kirkuk. We would also like to thank the Fondation Danielle Mitterand France Libertes. Without their help and faith this could not have happened.
If you would like to make a donation or have questions on how to get involved to help please contact vicki@paratusiraq.com.