Photos from WPSR-endorsed Trip to Iraq
October 1999
The young girls at the Al-Hidaya School for Girls in Baghdad where Gary Novak brought his Pencils for Peace, with the rest of the group helping to hand them out and bringing other items.
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Bert Sacks handing out some pencils at the girls school in Baghdad.
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Dave Rolstone with a giant Teddy bear at the school.
Dave is a member of the Voices in the Wilderness delegation from Wales,
along with Ray Davies, member of the British Labour Party. The Teddy bear,
who has appeared on British television, wears his famous T-shirt
proclaiming, THIS BEAR BREAKS SANCTIONS.
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Ray Davies, member of the British Labour Party from Wales and
the second of the two-person Voices in the Wilderness delegation from Wales.
Ray is passing out some of the thousands of pencils that Gary Novak, from
Port Townsend, brought to Iraq as part of his Pencils for Peace Project.
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 Gary Novak --- founder of Pencils for Peace --- busy at work distributing his pencils at the Baghdad school. |
Pencils for Peace postcard devised by Gary Novak. (Front) |
(Back)
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Dr. Kawsar Talaat (far right), a pediatric resident from
the U.S., with some neighborhood kids just
down Abu Nuwas Street from our hotel in Baghdad. I had taken a photo of these
kids in March/April, and I brought them copies of the photos along with copies of
the flyer we sent out using their photo. Kawsar explained this to them. They
are "flyer kids". Kawsar is handing out more stuffed things and toys to them. -Bert Sacks
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Bob Haynes and Waddah's kids!
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This photo is at the Jordan border on the way to Amman. The father (and mother,
not in this photo) were leaving Iraq to try to find some work in Libya! This
itself is really very sad. He is a mechanic and she is a school teacher. I
loved their two kids, Mustapha and Zohara. I would joke and call Mustapha
"Mushtashpha" which is the Arabic word for hospital, just because it sounded
almost the same to me. And we'd all laugh at this joke. This is after about 15
hours traveling on the bus ... so maybe it wouldn't have seemed so funny at the
start of the trip. But we all laughed ... -Bert Sacks
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 This couple came up to ask for help in getting to see their 2 young girls who have been living in Germany now for 3 years with an older brother. Their younger daughter died. I promised I'd try to find out what I could, and have sent them back the forms that the German embassy in Amman gave me, with an explanation of what they need to do to request a visa to visit their kids). But it is so sad ... and so complicated for them living in Mosul ... to try to get out of Iraq and into Germany! The father said that the mother has been crying so much it's affected her eyes. They look so sad here. -Bert Sacks |
 This is our regular Voices in the Wilderness friend and driver Sattar. He is such a reliable and conscientious man. He usually drives us into Baghdad and back to Amman when we're done. He graduated as a civil engineer in 1990 or 1991 and worked for a year or two doing some repairs from the war. Since then, he drives these grueling 12-15 hour trips as his way to support his wife and two kids. He told me that his oldest girl has just started school. He always expresses his appreciation to us for what we do for Iraq ... and I always feel he is so very genuine about it that it always moves me. This last time, he carried my bags to the airport bus, and said it would make him very happy if I'd let him buy me the 1.5 Jordanian dinar ticket; so, of course, I did. -Bert Sacks |
Last updated on November 4, 1999.