Iraqi Smiles Greet School Supply Drive

During the 2003 Oregon Bach Festival, community and audience members and employees of Salomon Smith Barney donated 27 cases of school supplies for school children in Iraq. The call for supplies came from Army Captain Matthew Lowen, son of the Festival's artistic administrator Marla Lowen.

The following letter from Matthew describes the scene when the supplies arrived at a school in Biaj in the Sinjar Mountains of northern Iraq, due west of Mosul, the country's third largest city.

Dear Mom, 
We went to BI'AJ yesterday and it went relatively well—for a military operation in Iraq!

Luckily enough, the supplies we delivered went to an all-girls school (at my request). I think that it is the girls who need the education and creative outlets more than the little boys in this country—especially out here in the "countryside" communities.

The girls were ADORABLE, all the little girls out here are cute as buttons! I wanted to take them all home! They are given no opportunities out here though, no education beyond primary school, and once they are of child-birthing age they are covered up, shut indoors, and neglected emotionally and physically.

Anyway, it was pretty chaotic for the simple reason that these kids don't have any posessions and when they get something they don't know what to do except run and hide with it. So imagine 150 screaming little girls all excited because soldiers have walked into their school unannounced. Then I start handing out TOYS!!!! Pandemonium.

One girl would get a package of paper and run off, another would get a box of pencils, another a set of markers. Their little brains didn't comprehend that if they pooled the stuff, it would be a lot more fun. Nonetheless, they were excited just to get "something". My heart felt big and sad at the same time. I took a few pictures but things happened so fast that it was over before I knew it.

I had the same experience in Afghanistan with a couple of little girls; I don't know if I ever told you. I was walking down the street in Bagram, and there was a group of about 4 little girls walking down the street. One never saw women or little girls hardly at all, so it was a unique sight. I had a little bag of skittles or something and I thought "wouldn't it be nice if I handed out some candies to each one of these precious little girls." I quickly imagined each of them waiting patiently, starry-eyed, little hands open to receive candies, and then thanking me and scampering off to find another generous soldier with something to give away. So I called to the little girls and waved the bag of candies in the air, of course they came running and as I explained to them, in English, that they would all get some I extended the bag in my hand and out of the corner of my eye a little palm snatched the bag and the little girl sprinted down the street. WHOA!!

Now the other three little girls are screaming at my feet because they want something—not just candy, anything. So, I looked on my body armor and I saw a pen (they always wanted pens) and as quickly as I retrieved that from my vest and held it out for all to see, it too was greedliy apprehended by a cute little hand which was attached to a set of feet that dashed up the road. I quickly learned that my initial take on the situation was not going to come to fruition, so I just grabbed two more pens, one in each hand and held them out for the little girls to snatch, which they did. So in a matter of about 45 seconds, I was out three pens and a bag of candy. Oh well, I didn't need it. But if you can imagine 150 little ones instead of four, then you can picture the scene yesterday.

Well I better run. Tell everyone at the Festival and at Smith Barney thank you and even though the girls at the school were too busy to say so, I know they meant to say it too. I love you and I'll write again soon.

Matthew