Photo By Sgt. Robert M. England | Zaid Al Azawi (left), the mayor of mayors for Muqdadiyah, Diyala province, Iraq,...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Soldiers from 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, members of the Diyala Provincial Reconstruction Team and Zaid Al Azawi, the Muqdadiyah Q’ai’mmaqam, visited a renovated bank in the suq, or marketplace, in Muqdadiyah, Diyala province, Iraq, Nov. 7 as a precursor to its reopening scheduled for later this month.
The Sala-Aruba Suq Bank was not always the beacon of progress that it is now.
Capt. Jason Velasco, fire support officer, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd AAB, 25th Inf. Div., said that bombings and Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices were a regular occurrence just a few years ago.
He also said that insurgent forces ran rampant in the otherwise desolate marketplace, and the building that previously stood where the rebuilt bank is currently located was a safe haven for Al Qaida terrorists.
Tariq Ahmenijed, a shop owner who has been doing business in the community for almost three decades, was directly affected by the insurgent activity.
“I have been in business here since 1982,” he said. “Before security received an overhaul, my shop was destroyed by the insurgent bombings. I had to shut down completely.”
The Red Crescent, an international organization operating in Iraq with the same principles as the Red Cross, has assisted in providing humanitarian relief in similar situations in the past.
Hazim Surraj, the director of the Diyala Red Crescent, echoed Ahmenijed’s first-hand experience.
“This area was a battlefield,” said Surraj. “There was nobody here besides insurgents until the military operations implemented by the Iraqi and American security forces at the end of 2007.”
Velasco said U.S. Forces implemented strategies to defeat the insurgents in the area, but the market suffered collateral damage in the destruction of the bank.
Velasco said Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police increased security measures after the operation to ensure Al Qaida would not return to the suq, ushering in the beginning of the rebuilding process.
“When the IA and IP increased security, the local people wanted their market back,” said Velasco. “The United States Agency for International Development, and a couple other organizations helped rebuild the infrastructure of the suq, laying concrete for the sidewalks and making sure the road was paved.”
Once a solid foundation was in place, the focus shifted to bringing previously displaced shop owners back to the market.
The PRT and 2nd AAB stepped in, issuing microgrants to persuade vendors to refurbish and reopen their shops, many of which had been destroyed.
“We came in with the microgrant surge,” Velasco said. “We have paid out approximately 1400 microgrants at $5000 apiece. It has gone from literally, like 40 guys in shops that were just barely hanging on to well over 1500 vendors throughout the whole suq.”
Surraj also stressed the crucial role the microgrants played in convincing the shop owners to return.
“Most of the people here have been displaced to other provinces or other areas,” he said. “The U.S. did a good job in renovating the infrastructure of the market, but the business was not really established until the microgrant projects were implemented.”
The microgrants allowed vendors to replace damaged goods, repay loans and renovate their shops.
Al Azawi, the Muqdadiyah Q’ai’mmaqam, or mayor of mayors, said as the shop owners began reopening for business, customers began to trickle back into the market, bringing with them the defibrillator of currency for their flat lined economy.
“People are starting to come out and shop again thanks to the improvements in security, infrastructure and economy,” he said. “It helps that security is now the number one priority in Muqdadiyah.”
With the heightened security provided by Iraqi Police forces in Muqdadiyah, the trend of customers’ spending has continued its upward climb since the reopening of the suq.
Al Azawi said this constant circulation of money from customers through shop owners has not only facilitated the need for a local financial institution, but also assisted in stabilizing the economy and promoting economic growth in the region.
“The economy here is good for the bank because the shop owners in the market need somewhere to deposit the money they make, which will keep the bank in business and stimulate our local economy,” he said.
In addition to the resulting economic stability, Surraj said the microgrants positively impacted the community by providing more short-term and long-term jobs.
Contract and construction workers found employment during the ongoing renovation process while waste management workers were able to return to their routes in the marketplace as well.
The microgrant program in Muqdadiyah is one of several programs in the Diyala province.
Velasco said similar programs have been implemented in Jalula and Khalis suqs as well.
With security and financial stability in place, the people of Muqdadiyah can now focus on rebuilding their sense of community in the marketplace.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2010 03:13 |
| Story ID: | 60857 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 8 |
This work, Microgrants lead to large improvements in Muqdadiyah marketplace, by SGT Robert M. England, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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