The war in Iraq seems so remote from the comfortable lives we lead in the East Valley.

It’s not like World War II where citizens felt a real engagement with the war. This is a questionable, dubious war whose conflict is beyond understanding. We mourn the tragic loss of lives in this struggle.

For most of us, our only connection to this war is through the news media. There are daily stories of tragic car bombings and other violent atrocities. Beside the brutal killings, there’s another aspect of this war not always portrayed by the media: The suffering of the downtrodden and weaker members of a war-torn society. The already physically disabled and ill endure even more.

Thousands of Iraqi people have been maimed and are physically disabled from this conflict. While most of us feel powerless to make a difference in the lives of these people, Tempe Sister Cities recently announced that they will send wheelchairs to victims of wartime violence in the city of Hilla. They are participating in the Partners for Peace project with Iraq through Sister Cities International.

Hilla is next to the Euphrates River some 60 miles south of Baghdad. About a million people live there. In 1991, after Saddam Hussein’s forces temporarily lost control of Hilla during an uprising, many residents were terrorized and thousands were executed in retaliation. Today, many people remain disabled with reduced mobility.

Tempe is the fifth and smallest U.S. community chosen to participate in the Partners for Peace program, joining Dallas, Tucson, Denver and Philadelphia. The program in Iraq was announced last year by First Lady Laura Bush during the G-8 Summit. The federal government contributed initial funding for the project, which is administered through Sister Cities International. Each partnership receives a $20,000 seed grant.

Part of the grant money will be used to fund wheelchairs for Hilla in partnership with the Wheelchair Foundation. Their goal over the next five years is to deliver 1 million wheelchairs to people around the world who cannot afford to buy them.

Tempe Sister Cities joins Rotary Clubs in the U.S. and Canada that have sent 1,120 wheelchairs to Iraq.

Tempe has led the way in groundbreaking Sister Cities relationships for more than 30 years. Tempe became the first U.S. city to twin with a community in Eastern Europe, linking with Skopje, Macedonia, (then Yugoslavia) in 1971. That relationship continues today as well as relationships with six other cities on four continents: Regensburg, Germany; Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Zhenjiang, China; Timbuktu, Mali; Beaulieu sur Mer, France; and Carlow, Ireland.

Tempe’s relationship with Hilla is an alternative to the traditional long-term Sister Cities partnership. This shorter term project is designed to focus on humanitarian aid programs.

The Tempe Sister Cities program has received 17 national awards including Best Overall Program from Sister Cities International in 2004. Its major fund-raising event, the “Way Out West Oktoberfest” was named Arizona Event of the Year 2003 and takes place again this year, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Tempe Sister Cities also received the Tempe Human Relations Commission 2002 Diversity Award.

Tempe Sister Cities’ relationship with Hilla has just begun. At a future meeting, delegates from both sides will exchange ideas on how to improve humanitarian conditions in Hilla. Fostering communication, cooperation and understanding will be the first goals.

As you see, there is a way for East Valley residents who want to make a positive difference in this war, after all. Information: www.sister- cities.org; www.wheelchair foundation.org; or www .tempesc.org.

Tempe Sister Cities recently received a grant that will help it reach out to a partner city in Iraq and send wheelchairs to victims of wartime violence.

Sister Cities International announced that its Tempe program will participate in its Partners for Peace project with Iraq.

Tempe will help out the Iraqi city of Hilla, south of Baghdad.

The program was chosen for the project through a competitive grants process managed by Sister Cities International in cooperation with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

“The grant from the State Department is $20,000, and there are several aspects to what we’re doing with it,” said NoRa Trevino, Tempe Sister Cities director.

“We want first to reach out to people in Hilla and open up the lines of communication.

“Then we’ll have a meeting with a delegation from Hilla this fall when they come to the United States.”

Trevino said Iraqi officials will visit Tempe officials “to learn about democratic government,” and coordinating committees in both countries will work to improve humanitarian conditions in Hilla.

Trevino said that the grant money will be used, in part, to put on the group’s 35th annual Oktoberfest celebration at Tempe Beach Park.

She said the event usually draws about 200,000 people over three days.

“We’ll use money we earn at Oktoberfest to send 280 wheelchairs to Hilla, which I’m afraid they have a very great need for,” Trevino said.

Richard Neuheisel, president of the Tempe Sister Cities organization, said the group’s goal “is always to promote peace and understanding throughout the world.”

Hilla is about 60 miles south of Baghdad on the banks of the Euphrates River. Nearly half a million people live there.

In 1991 after Saddam Hussein’s forces temporarily lost control of the city during an uprising at the end of the first Gulf War, Hilla’s residents were terrorized and thousands executed in reprisal.

Also, during the two Gulf wars and the insurgency that still rages, hundreds of Hilla residents have received injuries that have reduced or eliminated their mobility.