LETTERS OF SUPPORT URGENTLY NEEDED FOR MUSTAFA’s FATHER TO OBTAIN VISA. MUSTAFA NEEDS OUR HELP! SEND A LETTER TODAY!
Ruth Group, as part of the No More Victims project to bring Mustafa Ghazwan a 3 year old to the Bay Area for medical care, needs your support.

Mustafa’s father HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED HIS VISA. We are not sure of all the reasons, however, we were told it would be issued within 60 days, and that has long past. As of October 20,2008 Mustafa and his father are still detained in Jordan awaiting a visa for Mustafa’s father.
*
Ruth Group members have begun contacting the State Department, Nancy Pelosi’s office, Jared Huffman’s office, and others with the hope that the visa process can be expedited. UCSF doctor, Larry Lustig, has written a letter clarifying the urgency of Mustafa’s surgery so that his ability to speak again will not be impaired.

In the meantime, Mustafa’s mother and other son remain in Iraq and Mustafa’s father has taken a leave of absence from work. When we have an idea of other steps that can be taken by supporters, we will let you know.

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO SEND A LETTER TO THE FOLLOWING STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTIES USING THE SUGGESTED SAMPLE LETTER.

Thank you for all your support in this endeavor.

Ruth Friend and Amy Skewes-Cox

*

Letter regarding the urgency of expediting Mustafa’s visa.

[Please send a separate letter to each of these officials.]

Janice L. Jacobs
Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
2201 C Street, NW
Washington DC 20520
(202) 647-9576
AND:

David Donohue
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services
2201 C Street, NW
Washington DC 20520
(202) 647-9584

__________, 2008

Re: Urgency of Issuing Visa for Injured Iraqi Child
Patient: Mustafa Ghazwan Hussein Al-Nidawi, DOB Aug. 29, 2005,
Passport Number: G1866318
Accompanying Parent (Father): Ghazwan Hussein Jassim Al-Nidawi
DOB: Sept. 1, 1979, Passport Number: G1866319

Dear ________X:

Mustafa Ghazwan is an unfortunate 3 year old Iraqi child who suffered a complete hearing loss when a US missile struck near his home in Baquba, Iraq. Before the attack, he could say simple words like mama and memma (baby bottle in Arabic). However, since his injury he has been left completely deaf, which has prevented him from developing any degree of speech or language.

Two Bay Area residents, Amy Skewes-Cox and Dr. Dan Lowenstein, professor of neurology at UCSF, learned about Mustafa’s injury thorough No More Victims, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles that secures medical sponsorships for war-injured Iraqi children. Forming a Bay Area chapter of No More Victims, the group then teamed up with Dr. Lawrence Lustig, Director of the UCSF Douglas Grant Cochlear Implant Center to provide care for Mustafa’s deafness. Together this group has arranged the donation of a cochlear implant for Mustafa. Dr. Lustig agreed to implant the cochlear device free of charge. Ronald McDonald House/San Francisco will provide housing accommodations during Mustafa’s treatment which is anticipated to take about 6 months. A community of local residents, including many members of the Ruth Group in Marin County and Iraqi Americans (translators), formed to take care of their daily needs. Everything has been ready for Mustafa and his father for the last several months.

No More Victims evacuated Mustafa and his father, Ghazwan Al-Nidawi, to Amman, Jordan in July of this year. They applied for visas to the United States on July 29. In August, they were informed that their visas would require additional administrative processing, which could take up to 60 days from the date they applied for visas. We are now well past that date, and visas have yet to be issued.

We would thus urge the State Department, in the strongest possible terms, to expedite Mustafa’s visa to the United States for medical necessity. There are multiple studies in the medical literature documenting the benefit of early cochlear implantation in children. In other words, the sooner a deaf child can be implanted, the more likely they will develop normal speech and language. Likewise, every month delay of Mustafa’s cochlear implantation further jeopardizes his chances of a good outcome with the implant.

Further, this prolonged delay is extremely difficult for Mustafa and his father, who are now stranded in Amman waiting for visas to finally come through. Finally, we literally have a team in place on stand-bye, waiting for Mustafa to arrive so his implantation can proceed efficiently and forthrightly.

We sincerely hope the State Department can see that expediting Mustafa’s visa is medically necessary and of the utmost importance to him, as well as the large team of individuals in the US waiting for his arrival to provide him with a cure for his deafness. We appreciate any help you can provide in this important humanitarian effort. If you have any questions, you can contact Amy Skewes-Cox at 415-454-8666.

Sincerely,

*
[Note: the original letter was signed by Dr. Larry Lustig, UCSF, Dr. Dan Lowenstein, UCSF and Ms. Amy Skewes-Cox, Ruth Group and No More Victims, Marin County ]

*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jonathan Hahn | Phone: 301/770-0550
Recovery of war-injured three-year-old Iraqi child compromised by delays of State Department to process visa

Press Release from No More Victims [PDF]

*