Suffer the Children

UNICEF is trying to improve early childhood development in Iraq. This is obviously very, very difficult.

“Whether it is education, nutrition levels or access to basic services, the continued conflict taking place in Iraq is affecting all aspects of the lives of children,” says UNICEF Iraq Senior Programme Officer Geeta Verma.

I don't mean to dismiss UNICEF's work, but, under the circumstances, it's kind of hard to get excited about universal salt iodization (which helps prevent iodine deficiencies), fortified wheat flour, or professional development for 25 early childhood educators. Regardless of where events in Iraq are headed in the short to mid-term, long-term the nation will have to cope with the fallout from a generation of children traumatized by growing up in a war zone.