On team during this period were Rosemarie Milazzo and
Chihchun Yuan.
Displaced People
On 1 October, the team and local friends held a
Briyani Day in the IDP camp in Bestesen, Zharawa. Around ten kids, seventeen
women, and two men joined the picnic. Half of them walked one hour from Zharawa
back to the IDP (Internally Displaced People) camp to greet the visitors. The
displaced people shared their disappointment in the IDP representatives and
local authorities. The visitors tried to steer the conversation toward what those
gathered could do to highlight the concerns of displaced peoples.
In the afternoon, the group enjoyed watermelons and
exchanged more conversation. The group decided to visit the mayor’s
office together and give him flowers to remind him not to forget the IDP
problem. The appointment with the new
mayor was on 10 October. But the IDP leaders met the new mayor instead of the
small group that had gathered on Briyani day. The mayor mentioned he followed
up on the compensation the IDPs had requested by calling the Governorate
office. The official told the new mayor that no request had been submitted.
Two families remained in the IDP camp in Bastesen. The
mayor decided to give them some fuel for their heater in winter. The two
families felt abandoned by the others. When the delegation visited them on 23 October
they were very happy to see visitors. A
man referred to as Uncle Baiyi asked the team visit them more often.
Youth Group
Youth with whom the team was meeting wrote on the
topic of Women for October. One article was translated from Turkmen language to
English: “Girl’s Life,”available at https://cpt-iraq.blogspot.com/2010/11/girls-life.html
During the activity, the group brainstormed a human
rights statement to give the United Nations, available at https://cpt-iraq.blogspot.com/2010/11/statement-from-residents-in-kirkuk-to.html
Delegation
The team hosted one delegation during 17-26 October
2010. Their writings are available at https://cpt-iraq.blogspot.com/
