A commitment to Iraq's children, the solution to war's trauma

Last Thursday, Hussein Al-alak joined Sile Martin on her Radio Offbeat show on Manchester's ALLFM. In the interview, Hussein and Sile spoke about the work of the Iraqi Children Foundation and last Saturday's global 'In Their Shoes 5K' run. 

Speaking on Sunday, Hussein said; "It's been amazing to see people in so many different countries, taking part on the Iraqi Children Foundation's 'In Their Shoes 5K'. Here in Manchester, I took the journey around the Chorlton Water Park, where nature was also the guide. 

The north of England and Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) have a long and often complex history, which was first recorded around AD400 when under the Roman Empire, Mesopotamian soldiers patrolled the area around Hadrian's Wall. 

The Chorlton Water Park, picture taken by Hussein Al-alak

Back in 1858, the grandparents of the famous WW1 poet Siegfried Sassoon also travelled from the Iraqi city of Basra and arrived in Manchester. Like so many immigrant communities back then, it was the cotton trade which brought Sassoon's grandparents to the UK. 

As one of the main aspects of the ICF's work is in education, it's worth taking into account that Albert Hourani, author of “A History of the Arab Peoples” was born in Manchester in 1915. His book was also described by Harvard as “the definitive story of Arab civilization.”

As Hussein stated in last Thursday's interview, "we can all play an active role in ending the long-term trauma of war and terrorism. It may take some work but through the Iraqi Children Foundation's commitment to Iraq's children, we can also be the solution."