MAKING A DIFFERENCE - REO BASRAH HOSTS LOCAL ORPHANS FOR

UNCLAS BASRAH 000039 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO PREL PGOV IZ SUBJECT: MAKING A DIFFERENCE - REO BASRAH HOSTS LOCAL ORPHANS FOR FIRE SAFETY TRAINING REF: (A) BASRAH 0031 ¶1. Summary. On March 23, the Regional Embassy Office (REO) in Basrah hosted 25 children from a local orphanage for a visit to the REO Fire Station. The children learned about fire safety and prevention while also watching a demonstration on the use of fire extinguishers. Local and international media covered the event. The visit ended with each child receiving a certificate and a bag of candy. The smiles and good will generated by the visit has encouraged the REO to plan similar public outreach events with local schools and orphanages. End summary. ¶2. The Deputy Regional Coordinator (DRC) organized a day of fire safety and prevention for local orphans with the help of Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) employees of the REO Fire Station. The purpose of the event was to not only open the doors of the REO to a small part of the local community, but to teach Iraqi children the basic skills of fire safety and prevention. ORFACT, a private local orphanage, was invited to send a group of 25 children to the REO for a morning of training and fun. The children were between the ages of 5 and 14 and included 11 boys and 14 girls. ORFACT was founded by Basrah Provincial Council member Dr. Wathib Al Amood in 2003 and currently cares for 60 children. ¶3. The KBR Fire Chief organized a tour of the Fire Station and fire fighting equipment including the fire trucks. The children learned how to "Stop, Drop and Roll" during a fire and how to use a fire extinguisher. They also saw a demonstration of the main water hose of the fire truck and were encouraged to try on various pieces of fire fighting gear. Interestingly enough, the girls in the group were more eager and outgoing than the boys. The morning ended with a "graduation ceremony" in the Fire Station where each child received a Basrah Fire Department Certificate of Training. In addition, the KBR dining facility donated 30 bags of candy and ice cream bars. ¶4. Comment: The event generated tremendous good will between the REO and local community. Two local TV stations, two newspapers, one radio and one international media correspondent were present to film and record the event. One of the local teachers that accompanied the children exclaimed that she had never seen the children so excited and happy. In fact, the children had learned a song in English that they presented when they arrived. When they left, they did so with smiles and high fives. End Comment. GROSS