Following numerous discussions
among the retirees in Ankawa, it was found necessary to find a place for them
and their families where they could enjoy themselves. The by-law of the Club
was prepared, written down and discussed by the founding body that was set up
for this purpose. The body comprised (20) retirees. Approval was
granted to found the club following the submission of a request.
A managerial body was formed out
of the founding body comprising (9) members who supervised the furnishing of
the club which was found through support from Mr. Sarkis Aghajan. The club was
opened in 09/05/2007 by the mayor of Ankawa Sub-district and the elderly
retirees.
The first election of the
managerial board of the first term was carried out in 21/11/ 2008 and the
second term in 10/ 01/ 2011. In addition to the managerial board, the following
committees were set up to run the affairs of the club:
- Social
activities committee
- Public
relations, culture and media committee
- Hygienic
monitoring committee
- Retirees
Fund committee
- Maintenance
Committee
- Financial
Monitoring Committee
The best services were offered to
the retirees and their families on various levels as follows:
On the health care level, a
medical unit was established in the club to help the retirees, especially those
with endemic diseases and offer them free medical care. Besides, a dentistry as
well as a pediatric clinic were opened.
The retirees and their grandchildren
also enjoy other special privileges .
On the recreational level, a
casino was established to offer the elderly the best services through the
provision of all kinds of entertainment such as the dice game, domino, chess,
and cards. Such games cannot be described as gambling games because gambling is
totally prohibited. There is also a restaurant and a bar that offer their
services on reasonable prices compared to other restaurants.
The social level can be briefly
described as follows:
- Tourist
trips: the club has organized many such trips for its members and their
families to various tourist areas in Kurdistan Region whereby all costs
pertaining to transportation, hall renting and sitting places were covered by
the club. The club also organized a trip to Lebanon in the summer of 2009 in
coordination with a tourist company at low prices.
- Parties:
the club has held many parties in the halls and open parks of the club whose
expenses were covered by the club. These included the costs of the musical
bands and singers who excelled in their songs and good voices.
- The
managerial board has participated in all the social, national and religious
occasions in addition to paying visits to patient retirees offering condolences
to the relatives of those who passed away.
On the cultural and media level:
- Many
cultural and social seminars have been held in the club’s hall by specialized
people in various cultural, literary, health, historical and archaeological
disciplines as well as on NGOs.
- Extensive
meetings have been held with the general body to discuss the club’s affairs and
help push them forward. During those meetings new proposals were made to offer
better services to the club’s members. Besides, two extensive meetings were
held to amend the club’s by-law.
- On
initiative from the club’s managerial board, many meetings have been held with
NGOs to discuss the present situation of the Sub-district of Akwawa during
which suggestions were made to find solutions to the problems faced by the
town.
With regard to offering services
to the retired people, the clubs fund, which is supported by donations made by
the club’s members, offered financial support to the needy members during
urgent cases such as death, surgical operations, need, and catastrophes.
On the level of athletics, the
club has organized sports programs for the retirees in cooperation with Akkad
Sports Club during which members of the club were given access to practice
simple physical exercises and other sports that suit their physical conditions
and ages. These activities have been covered by Ishtar TV since 2007.
