Best UNICEF Project Ever? by Rob Carr

(Saddam Hussein's abandoned palace on Gara mountain in Northern Iraq source)

What was the most impactful project you ever worked on at UNICEF?

Mine is easy to recall. It was a WASH project that diverted water from one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces back to the villagers from whom it had been stolen.

The Gulf War had ended, and the one million Iraqi Kurds who fled the power vacuum at the end of the conflict had returned home from harsh refugee camps in Iran and Turkey. The three governorates of Northern Iraq were protected by a no-fly zone enforced by the USA, France, the UK, and Turkey, which prevented Iraqi aircraft from entering that airspace.

Meanwhile, a massive humanitarian response was underway. UNHCR, various NGOs, a small military force, UN military police, and local government all joined hands—not only to repatriate a million refugees but to rehabilitate some 4,000 Iraqi Kurdish villages that had been destroyed by the Iraqi government in an effort to control the Kurdish minority.

It was 1992, and I was a newly hired WASH Officer for UNICEF in Northern Iraq. UNHCR had departed for the war in Bosnia, and UNICEF was the new "lead agency." There was no OCHA and no UNDSS; it was the "Wild West," and by far the best post I ever had.

As a new officer, one of my core tasks was partnering with local NGOs and the government to assess and rebuild WASH structures—mostly gravity-fed systems for small villages and towns. At the top of the local government’s list was a proposal to repair a water channel for a village that had lost its only source. Part of my job was to visit the site to assess affordability and feasibility, and to discuss the history and use of the source with the community.

When we arrived, we found a truly unique situation. Gara Mountain was home to seven of Saddam Hussein’s summer palaces. After the war, the Iraqi government no longer had jurisdiction in the North, and the local government was trying to take charge, though they relied on the UN and donors for funding and supplies due to sanctions. These seven palaces had never been completed and Saddam had never used them. Some had already been looted for building materials and souvenirs.

The palaces were perched on scenic spots as the road snaked up the mountain, with the final palace at the peak designed to be the "crown jewel." Each had magnificent waterfalls and reflection pools, fed by a massive spring and a series of artistic canals. The essence of our project was to divert that water away from the palaces and return it to the original village. The government had destroyed the village in the '80s and diverted the spring for these decorative pools; the village’s peach and apple orchards and taps had long since withered.

The proposal was simple: break the diversion and reclaim the traditional source to bring the farms and the village back to life. UNICEF provided the pipes and fixtures, while the local government provided a backhoe to reconnect the water to the ancient waterway.

Choosing between decorative pools at abandoned palaces and drinking water for 1,000 people was a no-brainer. I was there the day the backhoe knocked down the diversion. As the water flowed back into the ancient canal that had served those orchards for centuries, the villagers cheered and the elders wept. I realized at that moment that I had the best job in the world. In 32 years, no other project has ever come close to that one in terms of history, impact, and pure emotion.

What was the best project you ever worked on?  Please share.

Rob in Dohuk, Iraq in 1992