First Humanitarian Aid Response Launched Inside Fallujah Militarized Zone
Baghdad, Iraq (PRWEB) June 02, 2016 -- This morning Preemptive Love Coalition (PLC), an international relief organization on the ground in Iraq, delivered 52,000 pounds of emergency food and 24,000 liters of water for 500 families whose land was just liberated from ISIS. The distribution took place near Fallujah, amid heavy military presence. The families who were served have not yet been placed in a formal camp and claim to have not received aid from any other organization. Many are reportedly sleeping outside in the desert, without even a mattress.
During the distribution, the security situation deteriorated quickly, as heavily armed soldiers came on the scene shouting orders for everyone to take immediate cover. PLC and its partners were urged to withdraw to safer territory. A few hours later, the situation stabilized and the aid convoy was able to return and complete its distribution.
PLC is planning more humanitarian aid deliveries on the front lines. Families who have fled the city are subject to screening at security checkpoints before being allowed into displacement camps. As the battle progresses, these checkpoints could become overwhelmed, leaving thousands of families in limbo.
“Food supplies have been dwindling for months, driving prices for what remains through the roof,” said Jeremy Courtney, PLC founder and CEO, from Iraq. “Children have been forced to eat grass just to survive. They can’t afford to wait until they’re settled in a camp to receive aid. We must keep showing up in the hardest places, where the need is greatest.”
PLC and local partners are coordinating with senior government officials and Iraqi Security Forces to deliver aid as close as possible to those in need.
When news broke of families starving in Fallujah, PLC and its partners approached Iraq’s Speaker of Parliament to advocate for humanitarian relief. The Speaker’s office asked PLC and its partners to prepare 150 tons of aid for survivors. "PLC has served in Fallujah for years, initially providing medical care for children, before ISIS took control of the city,” Courtney said. “We love the people of Fallujah, and Preemptive Love will continue to stand with them and strive to create the more beautiful world they deserve.”
About Preemptive Love Coalition: For nearly a decade, Preemptive Love Coalition has provided medical care for children in conflict zones, aid for those persecuted by extremists, and helped create small businesses to help displaced families put their lives back together. For follow up inquiries with Jeremy Courtney in Iraq, please contact Ben Irwin by email at ben.irwin(at)preemptivelove(dot)org or call +1 616 856 2605.
Ben Irwin, Preemptive Love Coalition, http://preemptivelove.org, +1 (616) 856-2605, [email protected]
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