how to help iraq

Pissed off about Bush's re-election?

Want to do something that opposes the war in Iraq?

Something practical, real and measurable that shows it's not in your name?

In the light of the withdrawal of many foreign aid organisations, the Jarrars - a family of bloggers in/about Iraq - have set up an emergency fund for civilian victims in Iraq.

You can donate money online via Paypal. Paypal is secure, free, quick, and easy, and is available to anyone with a bank account or credit card.

The money will be used to buy basic items - medical supplies, food, blankets, etc - in Jordan and then be distributed to the most needy accessible places in Iraq.

And there are a lot of places in need. We only hear of the violence when it's perpetrated by anti-occupation forces and/or hurts occupation troops. There is a lot more going on every day thanks to western military technology.

Donations to the fund can be any size. So far they've varied from $1.50 to $300. Even a little buys a lot in Iraq.

The Paypal donate facility is on Raed Jarrar's blog from Jordan along with details of the fund and how it will be organised, transparent and verified.

This is not some kind of scam - unless you believe that someone's gone to the trouble of writing four long, detailed and involved blogs most days this year as a set-up and have several more trusted friends doing the same including the excellent Baghdad Burning; or you think the blogs are real but the people writing such compassionate, humane and concerned reports might run off with the money that would otherwise save lives.

Even a cursory surf of their blogs will convince you that it's for real, and you have almost nothing to lose while others have their lives in the balance for the want of a couple of quids worth of basic medicine or clean equipment.