A message from co-founder Gary Sinise, 

On my second trip to Iraq in November of 2003, I saw a beautiful interaction between our soldiers and the Iraqi children. The kids were loving our soldiers and they were so grateful to them for having liberated them from Saddam Hussein. It was a tremendous feeling to see these children hugging and kissing our soldiers, cheering them with the thumbs up sign and in broken English saying, "I love you!" They were so welcoming, and it was a great moment when the principal took me into his office, a room that was no bigger then a janitor's closet, and there on the wall was a plaque that was dedicated to the Coalition Forces for giving them their freedom. He had it made especially to thank the soldiers who had helped to rebuild his school. And believe me, this was not much of a school compared to the schools here in the U.S. But it was so much better than what they had before our soldiers got there.

When I returned home from that trip I started a simple project at my own children's school to collect and send school supplies to Iraq because I had seen a tremendous need and thought that by sending our troops some basic supplies we could help the soldiers help the children. And that would be a good thing in the ongoing struggle for freedom for the people of Iraq that our troops have so bravely sacrificed for. Whether one agrees with the mission or not, our troops are still deployed and must succeed. By securing the peace in Iraq, our soldiers help to secure our own nation, and when that is accomplished more of them can come home. Much like when our GIs roamed the war torn streets of Germany after the devastating bombing and handed out chocolate to the children there, handing out school supplies to the children will help build a much needed bridge in their mission to show all the citizens that they are there to help them.

After that initial shipment, I teamed up with Laura to found Operation Iraqi Children. Now that we have seen the success and value of our program in Iraq, it is time to help our soldiers help the children of Afghanistan and other parts of the world. So Operation Iraqi Children goes international. OIC is now Operation International Children. It is a wonderful way for the people of the U.S. to support our troops by helping the children in the war torn areas in which these troops serve. Supplying the children with simple school supplies will promote goodwill between our troops and the citizens of these countries and help them all in their efforts to heal the wounds of war.

OIC SCHOOL SUPPLY KIT:

•  One pair of blunt-end scissors
•  One 12-inch ruler with metric markings
•  12 new pencils with erasers
•  One small pencil sharpener
•  One large eraser
•  One box of colored pencils (Crayons melt in the Iraqi summer heat!)
•  One package of notebook paper
•  One composition book
•  Three folders with inside pockets
•  One zippered pencil bag

Pack only the listed supplies in a 2-gallon sized zipper seal plastic bag.

If you would also like to send sports equipment or stuffed animals, please feel free to do so. Appropriate sports equipment might be soccer balls, jump ropes, and frisbees. Please send all balls deflated for air-transport and include a small hand pump for re-inflating. We do accept a number of items other than Kits: Our current urgent-need list includes: blankets, backpacks, shoes and tarps.

Please use discretion in choosing your supplies, sports equipment, and stuffed animals. Avoid items that are religious, depict war or conflict, or are strongly gender or age specific. Please be sensitive to the fact that you are sending items into a culture less exposed to television and video games, and under emotional strain.

PACKING INSTRUCTIONS:

• Print the Donor Information Sheet, complete it and send it with each shipment.  If you want to include pictures of, or stories about your groups effort, please do! Send the information to OIC at oicinfo@ptpi.org.
• Assemble each kit in a backpack or zipper seal bag.  Please enclose no additional items.
• Use sturdy boxes. Banana boxes work well, but a piece of cardboard or a paper grocery bag will need to be taped over the hole in the top and bottom before shipping.
• Along with your donations, you may enclose a letter or set of letters from you, your school or your organization to the soldiers who will deliver your packages or to the Iraqi children who will receive them.  You may include photos, or your group assembling packages, and suggest that the soldiers or children send back their own pictures and letters.
• Do not include any full names or addresses on the letters or pictures.
• If you have requested a response from the soldiers or Iraqi children, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Recipients of OIC supplies have been instructed to send replies to donors directly to the OIC Warehouse. We will forward these responses using the provided envelope.
• Please do not enclose religious or political materials.
• Be sure that all boxes are securely taped. 
• In clear, bold writing, address each package to:

Operation International Children

1529 Atlantic

North Kansas City, MO  64116

USA

• If you have further questions, please contact the OIC Warehouse at 816.241.7321 or OICWarehouse@ptpi.org.

SEND US FEEDBACK!

We want to hear from you!  Please let us know the total number of kits that your group sent.  If you hear back from troops or the recipients your packages, please share their stories with us.  It is important for us to share the good news, so send us all the information on the process of your program. Please e-mail us at OICInfo@ptpi.org with your stories.

PLEASE NOTE: In order to conform to regulations governing humanitarian assistance, meet customs requirements, and ensure positive impact of the assistance provided, the collaborating partners reserve the right to refuse inappropriate product. In the unlikely event that circumstances beyond our control should prevent the continued shipment of these supplies, a statement explaining the situation will be made to the public.