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OPA News Release: [01/28/2004]
Contact Name: Lisa
Kruska
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Brings Greetings
from America’s Children to the Al Waziriya Orphanage in Baghdad
Two-Day Trip Highlights Democratization
Efforts
BAGHDAD, Iraq—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today
toured the Al Waziriya Orphanage in Baghdad, operated by the Ministry of Labor
and Social Affairs. During her visit with the children, Secretary Chao
presented them with a banner created by Indian Hills Elementary School students
from Hopkinsville located in her home state of Kentucky. The banner sends a
Happy New Year greeting to the Iraqi children. She also presented them with
educational gifts from the U.S. Department of Labor.
“In looking at the young faces around me, I feel a sense of
confidence and optimism that these children will now grow up to see a brighter
future of peace and opportunity in a new Iraq,” said Secretary Elaine L.
Chao. “I bring the friendship and greetings of not only the young students
of Indian Hills Elementary School, but our President George W. Bush and the
American people.”
The Al Waziriya Orphanage in Baghdad is operated by the Ministry of
Labor and Social Affairs, which also operates 21 other orphanages in Iraq. The
ministry’s career professionals administer the private social security
pension fund and welfare program, giving the nation’s children, elderly,
widows and disabled the financial means to survive. Services and benefits
offered in the Kurdish regions mirror those offered in Baghdad.
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