International Aid Washingtonians Put Human Face On Humanitarian Assistance by Heather Mueller Most marathoners train with personal goals in mind, be it for bragging rights, getting in shape, or simply filling the days with activity. When Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Zbogar runs, he’s thinking of landmine victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s not that the ambassador isn’t fast or doesn’t have a personal interest in running. In October, he finished the Marine Corps Marathon course in 3 hours and 31 minutes. Finishing 26.2 miles in that time takes determination and talent—two traits Zbogar decided to turn into an advantage that could be used to help children who have suffered from conflict. The event was the fourth and final—for now—in a series of marathons and half marathons that the ambassador completed this year to help fund the treatment of landmine survivors. His goal? To raise $38,000 on behalf of six young children who were injured after the Balkan wars in the 1990s. But by the end of the 10-month project, including races in Texas, Tennessee and Ohio, Zbogar’s supporters had amassed more than $65,000 to help pay for rehabilitation and new prosthetic limbs for the growing children. All of the money he raised is being used to treat children through the Slovenian-run International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (see also Nov. 8, 2007 news column of the Diplomatic Pouch online). “I thought that if I am asking people to trust me with their money, I should also do my part of the sacrifice,” Zbogar said. “So I decided to run marathons, even though I never ran them before and never thought I would.” Such grassroots efforts are abundant in the Washington area, where many diplomats and business globetrotters are inspired to take up causes after first-hand experiences with tragedies overseas. So The Washington Diplomat decided to take a look at a few of these humanitarian efforts, in time for the charity-giving holiday season. After witnessing hardships abroad, Washingtonians often find themselves well positioned to help with their key contacts and inside knowledge. Such was the case for Linda A.H. Smythe, who spent 19 years in Bahrain as a manager for Bell Helicopter and honorary consul of Greece. After returning to the United States in the early 1990s and joining the Rotary Club of Montgomery Village, Md., she introduced an idea to her fellow Rotarians in 2005: a fundraising effort that would help train and equip Iraqi physicians to care for the thousands of civilians who have lost limbs to bombs, insurgent attacks and other explosives. The Basra Prosthetics Project completed its first mission in May 2006 with financial support and donations from dozens of organizations, agencies and individuals. At a medical station in Jordan, away from harm’s way, Iraqi doctors were guided through some of the most difficult cases—a man who lost both legs when a landmine explosion sent him flying through the air toward another landmine, for instance, or a boy who lost so much of his arm that just building an artificial limb to fit him presented a huge challenge. Project volunteers have arranged additional missions, always with a focus on equipping physicians to serve as many patients as possible. In addition to training, the initiative provides prosthetic limbs and other supplies through donations from manufacturers and hospitals. “I just really had a wish to help Iraqi civilians and victims,” Smythe explained. “The [Iraqi] Ministry of Health is in such bad shape that someone had to do something. There are so many amputees that we can’t possibly address them all, but we can help train physicians.” Ask Smythe how long she and her fellow Rotarians plan to keep at it, and she’ll really get going. She said she hopes the worn-torn country will find some footing and the health care system will improve, but for now, the Basra Project has no plans of slowing down. There’s passion in Smythe’s voice as she talks about the young boy who sent her a note saying, “I love you. I love you. I love you,” or about how astonished the Iraqis often are when they first learn that all of the project’s members operate on a voluntary basis. In an e-mail last month announcing $1.5 million in funding from the U.S. State Department—by far the project’s largest donation to date—she said the award “takes her breath away.” Next Page

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