“ I am the way, truth, and life” (john 14: 6)

A report on student transportation project in the chorespiscopacy of Baghdede 

Greetings

We hereby present our report which provides brief information on the project and the essential services it offers to our university students.

The project is one of the ecclesiastical activities of our chorepiscopacy in Baghdede since its foundation in 1992 which was supervised by the late Triangle of Mercy Bishop Mar Qurellus Emmanuel Benni and through support and encouragement from the revered fathers in the chorepiscopacy and under the management of a committee of youth from the town. 

The project is still considered one of the most important ones supervised by the church in Baghdede.

The basic objective of the projects was to transport university students from Baghdede to the university of Mosul at symbolic prices to help alleviate the burden of the Khodede (another name for the people living in Qaraqush [translator]) families at a time when the Iraqi people were bearing the brunt of the international sanctions imposed on Iraq that left negative marks on the living conditions of the Iraqi families at the time.

The church worked to contribute to providing suitable transportation means at reasonable and symbolic prices. The project continued through the efforts made by the benevolent people in the town and the supervision of the archbishop and revered fathers. The project developed much with the marked increase in the number of students. 

The increase in the number of students led the project management to rent buses to cope with the increasing number of students that added an additional financial pressure on the project management. 

After 2003 and subsequent years, there was a marked development in the project represented by the direct and generous sponsor of Mr. Sarkis Aghajan of the project and through direct supervision and up-to-date follow up by Fr. Luis Qasab. Through his Excellency Mr. Aghajan’s support it was possible to purchase 16 modern and good quality buses. This enabled the project to offer the best services to our students.

 

During this period there was a development in the resources of the of project that was able to cope with the increased number of students that reached  1200 students from both sexes.

Besides, the project also undertook other ecclesiastical tasks such as participation in catechism and preparation of children to the first communion as well as transportation of families to the Qiyama (resurrection) Cemetry during burial ceremonies through the provision of buses for such purposes in addition to participation in civil and social activities in Baghded/Qaraqush.

With the beginning of the sectarian violence that swept the Iraqi society in general and the Christian community in particular, the project came under new threatens and challenges represented in the targeting of our students inside the university campus during which they were subject to harassment and threats of various forms. 

The situation went from bad to worse until 2007 when a terrorist group kidnapped (8) of our students. Huge ransom was paid to release them. The scenario of terrorism continued in different ways and forms repeatedly during these years when the forces of evil stuck adhesive explosive to the buses carrying our students to the university as well as exploding a carbomb on the buses’ way with an objective to prevent Christian students from attending their classes at Mosul university. beside, those in charge of the project were threatened in various forms to put an end to the project.

The last such attacks came in 2 May 2010 when the buses carrying our students came under a terrorist attack by using a number of explosives and carbombs at the shared Mosul checkpoint killing two students and  inuring scores of others with some serious cases. Four buses were completely damaged while other buses were slightly damaged.   

As a result the project management decided to halt the project for the academic year 2010- 2011 to save the life of our students.

The project is still providing full support to social and civil activities of the Chorespiscopacy in Baghdede/Qaraqush with hopes that it will once again resume its activities for which it was basically founded to be able to transport students to the university for the coming academic year 2011- 2012. 

Kind regards