Army Lt. William Bass has made significant improvement in the Iraq War not through a combat operation, but rather in the smiles of little girls. This is because through his efforts, the Al Zuhor Girl’s Orphanage in Baghdad has flourished with a splendor it has not had in years. Through Bass’s renovation efforts, the facility has received a new facelift or everything, ranging from its painted walls to more extensive construction such as a new electrical system or a new water irrigation system.
For the little girls who are orphans there, the changes allow a little bit of luxury in their otherwise troubled lives. Many of them had actually come from families before, but lost their loved ones due to the violence that had plagued their country. Their new ‘parents’ are the staff of the orphanage. An example is Suda Juwad al-Khafage, director of the orphanage. She tries to return the love by making sure they live as normal life as possible.
Of course, before Bass got involved, things were much more difficult for Suda. There simply wasn’t enough money available to keep the facility in working order. Consequently, the building became rundown and the playground turned into a lot of trash. Even providing food for the children was difficult, since Suda and other staff members were not allowed outside past curfew hours. When Bass heard of all this he knew he had to get involved. He started by providing several bags of food for the children, so they could eat as much as they want any time they wanted.
Things continued with physical renovation efforts. All together over $100,000 worth of work has been done for the facility, making everyone quite happy.
