By Baghdadhope*
Some weeks ago the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, Msgr. Bashar Warda, announced the future construction in Ankawa, a small town near Erbil, of a hospital and a university directly under the control of his archdiocese.
Baghdadhope asked to Msgr. Warda some other details about the project:
"It 's an ambitious and important project that started by indisputable facts. In Iraq there is a lack of schools of all kinds and grades. In general the entire Iraqi population has always had confidence in the educational and health institutions run by Christians. Around 5000 Christians have moved in recent years in the territory of Ankawa, many of them have professional qualifications but are facing the problem of unemployment and could therefore benefit from the establishment of a hospital and a university that, it is estimated, will involve about 60 different professional roles. The two institutions are therefore needed to create jobs but also to offer services to the entire population, regardless of ethnicity and religion."
The Kurdish government donated to the Archdiocese of Erbil through Ankawa municipality the land on which the buildings will be. Has the construction work already begun?
"It 's an ambitious and important project that started by indisputable facts. In Iraq there is a lack of schools of all kinds and grades. In general the entire Iraqi population has always had confidence in the educational and health institutions run by Christians. Around 5000 Christians have moved in recent years in the territory of Ankawa, many of them have professional qualifications but are facing the problem of unemployment and could therefore benefit from the establishment of a hospital and a university that, it is estimated, will involve about 60 different professional roles. The two institutions are therefore needed to create jobs but also to offer services to the entire population, regardless of ethnicity and religion."
The Kurdish government donated to the Archdiocese of Erbil through Ankawa municipality the land on which the buildings will be. Has the construction work already begun?
"No, not yet. The projects assigned to the engineering department of Erbil are finished but the construction work will begin on the month of March on an area of about 40,000 square meters."
This is certainly a significant financial commitment for the Archdiocese that will own and manage the two structures. What is the budget for them and how will you raise the money?
This is certainly a significant financial commitment for the Archdiocese that will own and manage the two structures. What is the budget for them and how will you raise the money?
"The total cost should be around 8 million dollars. Obviously the archdiocese will give its contribution but it will not be able to cover all the expenses. We count on the active cooperation of Western governments, secular and religious charitable organizations and donors, and among them we address especially to the Iraqi Christian families with financial resources for whom the financial council in charge of economic issues thought of a kind of economic return by creating a sort of local financial market in which 1 / 3 of the actions related to the project will be quoted to give profits to the donors /shareholders. In this way these people can do good to their community and also to Iraq as a whole, since the two structures as I said before will not benefit only Christians, and at the same time they will have some profits."
Why would a foreign government or an NGO should decide to fund this project?
Why would a foreign government or an NGO should decide to fund this project?
"Because it is a challenge for the future that, let's face it, offers very limited opportunities in this area by now. Because we, Christians, are Iraqi citizens and not second-class citizens and we want to fully participate in the rebirth of our country giving our contribution especially in the fields in which our primacy has always been recognized by all Iraqis: health and education. Because much has been said in the West about the need to preserve the Christian presence in Iraq and this project offers the opportunity to help to put in practice our desire to stay. Services for the community and workplaces are the necessary conditions to stem the flight of Iraqis from their country."
Do you think that the very creation of skilled job opportunities could induce some of the professionals who left the country in recent years to come back?
Do you think that the very creation of skilled job opportunities could induce some of the professionals who left the country in recent years to come back?
"I'm sure. Many of those who fled would return if they were offered to do it safely and by creating suitable job opportunities."
The creation of a hospital and a university cannot be improvised. The good will is not enough. What kind of guarantees will you offer to those who will decide to support the project? And speaking about the university what kind of college will it be? What subjects will be taught?
The creation of a hospital and a university cannot be improvised. The good will is not enough. What kind of guarantees will you offer to those who will decide to support the project? And speaking about the university what kind of college will it be? What subjects will be taught?
"It is true that good will is not sufficient but it is also true that without it, but also without humility and hope you do not begin and end anything. The guarantee is our desire and need to build our future here. As for the university, for example, the board of the University of the Holy Spirit in Kaslik, Lebanon, agreed to share with us their experience in higher education even if the final agreement will require further in-depth examinations, and in this respect two priests of our diocese will go there to learn how to manage this kind of institution maintaining the Christian vision that is dear to us. As for the courses we have focused for now on those who are most needed and required by our young people: trade, art, literature, computer science and international law."
Will you count on the collaboration of academic and medical institutions from other countries?
Will you count on the collaboration of academic and medical institutions from other countries?
"We hope that teachers and specialists from other nations will contribute through their knowledge to the proper functioning of our projects and for this reason we hope to develop future contacts with universities, hospitals and organizations concerned to support them actively. To create a 100-bed hospital with eight operating theatres and a university for 3,000 students is a challenge for us and for those who want to give their contribution."
How can a person or an institution interested in your projects have more information about it?
How can a person or an institution interested in your projects have more information about it?
The name of the project is Adiabene Hospital and University. Can you explain the reason for this name?
“Adiabene was the name of the territory of a metropolitan province of the Church of the East that between the fifth and fourteenth century was extended over a large area where one of the major centers was the present-day city of Erbil.”
