Thank you for visiting our Institute's fundraising page!

On the weekend of October 9-12, Wafaa' Al-Natheema will be walking again from Cambridge, MA. to Putney, Vermont (or more than 100 miles) in an effort to reach our target of $2500.   Please help spread the word and/or make a donation. 

See her letter below written on September 18. 

Thank you.

Richard Sullivan, INEAS

Friday, October 9, 09

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Dear Friends and Concerned Individuals:

For the past two months, I have been exercising using many forms of sports like biking, hiking, swimming and walking in order to prepare for this fundraising walkathon. This weekend, September 18-20, I will be walking from Cambridge (our Institute's location) to the Grammar School at Putney, Vermont.

Some of you may know that since the war on IRAQ in March 2003 and the immediate occupation, there have been more than FOUR million orphans in IRAQ and hundreds of children under 12 in USA prisons facing torture and sexual molestation.  Iraqi children have been facing another catastrophe; they have been the victims of unprecedented child trafficking. 

Iraqis, until the Gulf War in 1991, enjoyed a great level of prosperity with one of the best FREE medical and educational services and a society with one of the highest percentage of middle class and higher literacy rate than the USA. They continued to have far better education and health services during the international blockade years (1990-2003) than after the occupation.  The dire situation of Iraqi children is unacceptable in a country very rich in oil, which until the occupation, was also rich in agriculture and hard-core scientists.

This fundraising walkathon is sponsored by the Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies (INEAS) http://www.INEAS.org and co-sponsored by http://www.lifeusa.org, whose helpful representative, Auf Al-Rawi, will ensure and facilitate the delivery of donations to our targeted orphans safely and in a short time.  We thank the community of Putney, Vermont and the Center for Interpreting Translation and Education (CITE), for their support to make this fundraising event a success.  This will be the first of several fundraising events this fall to help Iraqi orphans.

I chose to walk to the State of Vermont because it is one of the most progressive States in the environment and anti-war movement.  It is the State whereby its second longest serving governor, Howard Dean, who ran for presidency and is currently the chairman of the Democratic Party, was bluntly and actively anti-war.  This is also the State that unusually had two Independent Senators: Jim Jeffords and Bernie Sanders; both anti-war advocates who voted against the invasion of IRAQ.   So it will be my pleasure to walk to the State of Vermont.

We hope that you help us reach our modest fundraising target of $2500 by October 15.  Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure.  However, off line donations will not be subject to 7.5% fee.  So to send your checks via mail, please make them payable to I.N.E.A.S. and mail them to:

Institute of Near Eastern & Arfican Studies (INEAS)

P.O. Box 425125  

Cambridge, MA. 02142  USA

Many thanks for your support -- and please forward this to anyone whom you think may want to donate too!

In Solidarity with Iraqi Children,

Wafaa' Al-Natheema, Founder, Director

Friday, September 18, 09

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Update

Off-Line Donations

Name                                      Amount                  

Turkish Woman                                  $100

Dr. Maarib                                         $100

 Alli Lubin                                           $10

 Anonymous                                       $ 7.01

Veronique Epiter                                $21

Michael from Vermont                        $500

Ibrahim Ebeid                                     $100

Paul Rehm                                          $50

Suleiman Shahin                                  $30

Rose Riskalla                                      $5

Tareq Al-Saody                                  $200