NZ aid workers resume rebuilding Iraq

4.00pm

New Zealand aid workers are starting to return to Iraq, following a recent wave of kidnapping of foreigners.

New Zealanders working for World Vision and the Salvation Army have already returned to Iraq, while a revolving team of aidworkers from the Tear Fund are due to return within a few weeks.

World Vision reopened its offices in Iraq this week their operations director, New Zealander Judy Moore, said in a statement.

"International staff were kept out of the country until security concerns were relieved, and operations are now continuing in northern and western Iraq," Ms Moore said.

"We were able to rely on the skill of our Iraq staff to keep programmes on the ground going. Our local staff are able to travel freely around their communities, interacting with water and sanitation contractors, health staff and other community members."

World Vision is delivering emergency health equipment to hospitals in northern Iraq , repairing water and sanitation works and rebuilding schools.

New Zealand Salvation Army captains Bruce Coffey and Cedric Hills spent the weekend in Al Amarah, in southeastern Iraq, working on community development projects.

The Salvation Army temporarily withdrew its staff to nearby Kuwait a few weeks ago. They remain based there, but over the weekend returned to Iraq.

"The trip (to Al Amarah) was quite uneventful, and we made a lot of progress," Captain Coffey said in a statement.

"We are blessed with a great staff in Iraq and they are keeping things going very well."

The Salvation Army said it would continue to run its programmes "remotely" from Kuwait due to security concerns.

Tear Fund NZ told NZPA they had a rotating team of aid workers in Iraq, who currently were out of the country. They were scheduled to return in around four weeks time, and that was expected to go ahead as planned.

- NZPA