Independent British television producer Tim Tait has created a 20-minute documentary called “The Lost Children of Chechnya” which focuses on Dr. Baiev’s work during the summer of 2008. The documentary was commissioned for al-Jazeera’s English language service. Supporters of the ICCC who view the film may be especially interested to see the operating room in Grozny's Children's Hospital, for which the ICCC purchased two air conditioning units, and to see footage of Dr. Baiev making use of surgical glasses also purchased with money donated to the ICCC.
Letter from Dr. Khassan Baiev
2010-12-15 22:50:06
Fall 2010
The year 2010 has been an exciting one for the International Committee for the Childern of Chechnya and the high point came in November for two reasons.
The first occurred at Weston, Vermont, when a two-day fundraising effort organized by Janet Warren and Annie Fujii on November 12-13 netted over $7,000 for the purchase of up-to-date instruments, especially a portable ultra sound machine. This was followed by the second development few days later when the Dorothea Ross Foundation approved a grant of nearly $9,000 for the purchase of an electrical surgical generator.
Both of these machines will aid immeasurably our medical practice in Grozny, capital of Chechnya. This year I spent five months in Grozny operating on children who were born with birth defects attributable to the chemical weapons used during the Russo-Chechen wars, youngsters suffering from serious burns and amputated limbs.
I want to express my profound gratitude to all of you for so generously backing the efforts of the International Committee for the Children of Chechnya in our efforts to alleviate the suffering of thousands of children injured by war.
I want to note, too, that a good part of these efforts has been stimulated by the production at the Weston Playhouse this last summer of the play by Gavin Broady, The Oath. This one-hour drama was inspired by the book The Oath, a Surgeon under Fire, which I wrote with my two good friends Nicholas and Ruth Daniloff of Andover, VT. The play is a one-act production in which actor Ian Barford of the Steppenwolf Theater of Chicago, played the surgeon as well as a number of other characters. Both the play and the book recount the challenges I faced as a doctor and surgeon during the wars which lasted from 1994 until 2008.
In Chechnya (a part of southern Russia) we still face many challenges. It is true that the capital Grozny has been largely reconstructed with help from Russia, the Chechen diaspora, and business men from Turkey. But much remains to be done. Many industries remain destroyed. Chechnya continues to be one of the most heavily mined former conflict zones in the world. The Russian authorities claim that they cannot find the maps which show where the mines were laid. Consequently, there have been no serious efforts at removing the mines and much territory is unusable for farming or animal husbandry.
An interesting development is that as a result of the war, thousands of Chechen families fled abroad with their children. Slowly, some of them are coming back. They bring with them children who have developed useful skills and who have learned a variety of foreign languages. Thus Chechnya, which was once a very isolated area in the Caucasus region is now more aware of the outside world and hopes to take advantage of these new resources.
When I travel to Chechnya I am often asked questions about the United States and whether America is purposefully pursuing a war against Islam. My experience, from living in Massachusetts, is that the United States is one of the most open societies in the world which tolerates all sorts of religious practices so long as they remain peaceful. It is not engaged in war against Islam. I can say that I have not experienced discrimination in the United States because my family and I are Moslems. However, I do know that there is prejudice against Moslem among some people in America. Living partly in the U.S. and partly in Chechnya, I hope to bring better understanding to both sides.
I look forward to the year 2011 and continuing to help the suffering children in my homeland. I understand there are people in Weston and further afield who may create a support group The Friends of the Children of Chechnya. As always I appreciate whatever you can do to help. I would like to add that my family and I are deeply grateful to the people of Vermont and the United States for being concerned about the sacred gift of life in war-torn areas far from U.S. shores.
Dr. Khassan Baiev
The year 2010 has been an exciting one for the International Committee for the Childern of Chechnya and the high point came in November for two reasons.
The first occurred at Weston, Vermont, when a two-day fundraising effort organized by Janet Warren and Annie Fujii on November 12-13 netted over $7,000 for the purchase of up-to-date instruments, especially a portable ultra sound machine. This was followed by the second development few days later when the Dorothea Ross Foundation approved a grant of nearly $9,000 for the purchase of an electrical surgical generator.
Both of these machines will aid immeasurably our medical practice in Grozny, capital of Chechnya. This year I spent five months in Grozny operating on children who were born with birth defects attributable to the chemical weapons used during the Russo-Chechen wars, youngsters suffering from serious burns and amputated limbs.
I want to express my profound gratitude to all of you for so generously backing the efforts of the International Committee for the Children of Chechnya in our efforts to alleviate the suffering of thousands of children injured by war.
I want to note, too, that a good part of these efforts has been stimulated by the production at the Weston Playhouse this last summer of the play by Gavin Broady, The Oath. This one-hour drama was inspired by the book The Oath, a Surgeon under Fire, which I wrote with my two good friends Nicholas and Ruth Daniloff of Andover, VT. The play is a one-act production in which actor Ian Barford of the Steppenwolf Theater of Chicago, played the surgeon as well as a number of other characters. Both the play and the book recount the challenges I faced as a doctor and surgeon during the wars which lasted from 1994 until 2008.
In Chechnya (a part of southern Russia) we still face many challenges. It is true that the capital Grozny has been largely reconstructed with help from Russia, the Chechen diaspora, and business men from Turkey. But much remains to be done. Many industries remain destroyed. Chechnya continues to be one of the most heavily mined former conflict zones in the world. The Russian authorities claim that they cannot find the maps which show where the mines were laid. Consequently, there have been no serious efforts at removing the mines and much territory is unusable for farming or animal husbandry.
An interesting development is that as a result of the war, thousands of Chechen families fled abroad with their children. Slowly, some of them are coming back. They bring with them children who have developed useful skills and who have learned a variety of foreign languages. Thus Chechnya, which was once a very isolated area in the Caucasus region is now more aware of the outside world and hopes to take advantage of these new resources.
When I travel to Chechnya I am often asked questions about the United States and whether America is purposefully pursuing a war against Islam. My experience, from living in Massachusetts, is that the United States is one of the most open societies in the world which tolerates all sorts of religious practices so long as they remain peaceful. It is not engaged in war against Islam. I can say that I have not experienced discrimination in the United States because my family and I are Moslems. However, I do know that there is prejudice against Moslem among some people in America. Living partly in the U.S. and partly in Chechnya, I hope to bring better understanding to both sides.
I look forward to the year 2011 and continuing to help the suffering children in my homeland. I understand there are people in Weston and further afield who may create a support group The Friends of the Children of Chechnya. As always I appreciate whatever you can do to help. I would like to add that my family and I are deeply grateful to the people of Vermont and the United States for being concerned about the sacred gift of life in war-torn areas far from U.S. shores.
Dr. Khassan Baiev
Who We Are
The ICCC was founded by three American women in 1996 to work on behalf of child victims of the war in Chechnya. After gaining political asylum in the United States, Dr. Khassan Baiev became the ICCC's chairman in 2003. Since then, Dr. Baiev, who wrote about his wartime experiences in "The Oath: A Surgeon Under Fire," has become an outspoken advocate for human rights and has been honored by Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, and Amnesty International.
The ICCC's mission is to support the efforts of physicians, relief workers, teachers, parents, and all others who work for the children whose lives have been devastated by war in the North Caucasus.
The ICCC's mission is to support the efforts of physicians, relief workers, teachers, parents, and all others who work for the children whose lives have been devastated by war in the North Caucasus.
