Economic Program Builds on Concerned Citizens’ Success

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2008 – The concerned local citizens groups in Iraq have made a huge impact in areas that were once al Qaeda fiefdoms, and the program is expanding to include the economic aspects of the counterinsurgency fight, Army Col. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr. said today during a phone interview from Iraq.
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The Iraqi Civilian Conservation Force is based on the U.S. version formed in the early 1930’s to put unemployed young men to work during the Great Depression. The Iraqi version will pave roads, conduct neighborhood sanitation and work on other infrastructure improvements.

In addition, the program aims to provide scholarships to concerned local citizens to attend vocational schools. The program provides training and loans for people to start businesses. The program is also beginning in other parts of Iraq.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48717