The World Mourns the Loss of Aid Workers Marla Ruzicka and Faiz Ali Salim

4/23/2005 - American aid worker Marla Ruzicka, founder of CIVIC Worldwide (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict), and her colleague Faiz Ali Salim, CIVIC's Iraq Country Director, were tragically killed by a suicide car bomber on Iraq's infamous Airport Road on Saturday, April 16, 2005. After working on numerous humanitarian campaigns for Global Exchange in Afghanistan and around the world, Marla formed CIVIC to help alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of war. Marla was a ferociously kind and generous person; both she and Faiz showed unrelenting commitment to helping others even under conditions of extreme personal jeopardy. CIVIC's mission in Iraq was the gathering of statistics on the civilian casualties of US military actions and providing the affected individuals and their families with assistance in applying to the US government for sympathy payments to help cover their medical treatment and reconstruct their lives. CIVIC's civilian casualty surveys today remain the only reliable record of the numbers of innocent Iraqi civilians killed in the conflict so far. Marla and Faiz helped wounded and orphaned Iraqis on a case by case basis to try to rebuild their shattered bodies and lives; they gave this work the highest priority and carried it out with great love and selflessness.

War is merciless; violence once set in motion always comes full circle and claims the most innocent and defenseless of individuals in its path. Marla and Faiz literally gave everything to help others. We all owe them a debt of gratitude, for they are the living embodiment of our national conscience, and they helped show the Iraqi people that America is about much more than guns and bombs.

It is now critically important that CIVIC receive your support in order to continue its vital work in Iraq and around the globe; donations in Marla's and Faiz's memory may be sent to:

Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict
1605 Connecticut Ave NW 3rd Floor
Washington DC, 20009

All donations are tax exempt and a portion of the proceeds will go to Faiz's family.

For much more information about Marla, Faiz, and CIVIC, or to donate securely online, please visit the CIVIC Worldwide website located at:

http://www.civicworldwide.org
About the author:

This article is Douglas Craig, Editor In Chief, Progressive Planet.org

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