 Operation Iraqi Freedom
The 1 million residents of Sadr City have known neglect since the city's inception in 1959. Originally named Revolution City, its problems are akin to those of public housing projects in the United States. It was built to provide housing for Baghdad's urban poor who fled rural areas for job opportunities in the city. The city suffered during the Saddam Hussein reign because of its historic resistance to the then-ruling Baathist Party. Even after the fall of Hussein, the city had been under siege by the Mahdi Army until a cease-fire was invoked and Iraqi Army troops took control of the city earlier this year. Navy Lt. Erwin Rico, officer in charge of the Gulf Region District's Loyalty Resident Office, said the new school represents progress and opportunity for local residents. "Sadr City is extremely overpopulated and has decaying essential services," Rico said. "One of these essential services is schools. The maneuver units, the State Department and the Corps of Engineers have partnered in an ambitious plan to help this community, starting with its most valuable resource: its children. They represent the future, not only of this community, but of the country of Iraq. By having a modern school like Al-Khawarizmy, the children of this community will have a better opportunity to succeed." Inez Bergerson, project engineer for the Loyalty Resident Office, said that the school has a lofty name. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was a renowned ninth century scientist and mathematician credited as one of the founders of modern algebra. Al-Khwarizmi was a scholar in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad and is also recognized for his contributions in the fields of astronomy, geography and trigonometry. "This school will help more than 1,500 seventh, eighth and ninth grade students to receive a quality education in a modern facility," Bergerson said. "The neighborhood families in the Mahala 549 District are extremely grateful for our efforts and see the school as having a positive impact on their community." Capt. Amanda Doyle, the Provisional Reconstruction Team operations officer, says that besides providing the bricks and mortar for school projects, the Ironhorse Brigade is donating school supplies, providing technological support and establishing teacher cultural exchange programs with universities in the United States. "Al Khawarizmy school has been a promising project both for the brigade as well as USACE, by providing U.S. Forces with a means to demonstrate goodwill and support to the Exclusion Zone of Sadr City," Doyle said. The school compound includes a two-story classroom building, a science laboratory building, a multi-purpose hall, a guard house, a canteen, lavatories and administrative offices. The entire 59,000-square -foot school complex is surrounded by a security wall. The $2 million school project was funded by the Iraqi Economic Support Fund. The Iraqi-owned Al Andalus Company was the general contractor for the 15-month project. At peak construction, the project employed more than 35 local Iraqi construction workers, adding an economic boost to the community. The Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. government and the government of Iraq. Since 2004, GRD has completed 5,257 projects throughout Iraq valued at more than $8.9 billion, and has 361 projects ongoing. Note: Mike Scheck is a public affairs specialist with the Gulf Region District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iraq. ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
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