Agricultural development – Flower farming

The project plans to provide vocational training for internally displaced young men in Northern Iraq.  They will receive training in the production of cut flowers, business and marketing skills as well as life skills.  Land has been acquired and some of the first flowers have been planted and once the rest of the accommodation has been completed (by early April 2011), then some of the young men will begin to move in.

This project is in partnership with several other organisations.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would be interested in helping or would like more information about this project.

Project manager: Case Comer

Physiotherapy

ACORN has been working in the area of physiotherapy (physical therapy) in Northern Iraq since 1993 and there is still a lot of work to be done.  We are presently working in three main ways:

- Locally: Providing ongoing training for staff and support in their treatment of patients.

- Governorate wide (Sulaimaniyah): Working with the managers and director of physiotherapy in seeing physiotherapy develop.

- Regionally, nationally and internationally: Working with the Minister of Health and Minister of Higher Education to facilitate physiotherapy development across the region and beyond.

Here are some of the things we have been involved in recently:

• Teaching electrotherapy
• Training in the management of acute low back pain
• Management seminars
• Involvement in meetings for the commencement of a bachelor’s degree programme in physiotherapy
• Meeting with the Minister of Health in the Kurdistan Regional Government to lobby for physiotherapy
• Treating patients
• Providing English classes for the local therapists so they can have improved access to books and international journals

If you feel called to work in any of these areas please do feel free to contact us.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

On behalf of ACORN,
Eduard Hoogeland
Physiotherapy Consultant Iraq