JUNE 2008

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ONE-on-ONE Wendy Acho in Iraq with colleagues and military personnel. Four Months in Iraq: ‘An audacious spiritedness” A20-year banker, Wendy Acho recently spent four months in Iraq as Managing Director, Investment Strategy Task Force to Improve Business and Stability Operations, for the U.S. Department of Defense. She traveled around the country arranging meetings between Iraqi ministers with private equity, investment bankers and sovereign wealth fund CEOs and met with countless citizens and entrepreneurs about economic development and job creation mechanisms. Acho, a former board member on the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, said she was deeply moved by the experience. “Despite the memories of wars and the savagery upon its people, there was an audacious spiritedness,” she said. “The people told me they will never forget, but they wanted to move forward. They were not sure how to start the process of ‘healing.’” Chaldean News (CN): What devastated you the most about what you witnessed? Wendy Acho (WA): What impressed me most were the people. What devastated me most were the people. The country’s landscape can be repaired, but what needed repair were the people. Understanding both sides is difficult to translate into words, deeds and action. Human suffering is rampant, while I was keenly aware of the epic battle between government and service to its people. I toured governates, spoke with local mayors, met with governors and citizens to assess their realities and perspectives. I sought to understand the U.S. military’s role in the territory it patrolled. My findings were consistent, despite the ethno-sectarian-political dichotomies in Iraq: this Iraqi citizenry wanted to be empowered and needed an enabling program to lift Iraqi societies out of despair and poverty as an absolute imperative. After five years in Iraq, the lack of resonating development was an immediate threat to the national psyche. I was overwhelmed with the work that needed to be done. After five years in Iraq, I tried to assess the progress from the Iraqis. I met with the refugee, tourism, scientific, and women/widows committees, and they deemed drastic action immediately. I understood 200 factories were closed and 500,000 were suddenly unemployed, 60 percent of the population. Combine this with 40 percent of Iraq’s population still being under the age of 15, and you begin to understand how tens of thousands of unemployed Iraqis joined terrorist armies. One solution may lie in building a system that supports sustainable job creation, nonoil dependent economies as Iraq was historically a diversified economy. The Chaldean community understands, first hand, the backbone and lifeblood of a local economy are the independently owned businesses, whereby every dollar produced and spent locally could impact three to five complementary businesses. Hence, my thoughts have concluded that from the onset, left out of the equation has been the local Iraqi entrepreneur. It has been apparent to me that the greatest risk-takers, stakeholders and shareholders are the locals, despite the lack of investment laws processes and the fragile security situations, not the foreign investors. CN: Do you have hope for the country and it citizens? WA: Absolutely. I have had the opportunity to meet, present and personally speak with many Iraqi, Kurdish, American and British ministries and commanders. There have been many success stories in Iraq that never made headlines. Citizens are opening their doors for business across the country. Institutions and legislations are forming. Institutionalizing of systems and processes are forthcoming. Cautious hope permeates, as my calendar was always full of appointments with Iraqi men and women “selling” me their business ideas. Hopes and aspirations continue. CN: Do you ever plan on returning? WA: Absolutely. Going outside my core competencies was challenging as I toured undiscovered landscapes, but a passion in purpose led by my inner compass assisted me through the series of ambiguities and unbeknownst threatening game-changers. I went to Iraq with the mantra of possessing my own strong opinions, yet I weakly held them and maintained a broad peripheral vision. I am currently seeking opportunities to leverage my experience in-theater to further develop existing economic development schemes led by NGOs as well as the esoteric financial community. CN: How has the visit changed you as a person? As a Chaldean? 46 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2008
‘Mosul, with Iraqi expatriate participation, will be the epicenter of a healthy, wealthy and wise community in Iraq. I knew this will happen one day as I walked through the Chaldean Culture Center in Erbil.’ – WENDY ACHO Wendy Acho meets with the owner of a hotel on Abu Nuwas Street in Baghdad. WA: Iraq was an experience that really defined my purpose in life, and I really began to understand God. My DNA is unique to me, and God has a plan for me. I believe life is an evolution built on a series of revolutions that ultimately cements one’s own unique style of authentic leadership role. Led by your truisms and truths, expect them to be tested through your lifetime. Hence, one’s moral compass is built on our foundation stone. The Gospel of Matthew 21:42 speaks of human sacrifice that was paid in the unwavering foundations that emerged our people and value systems as a Chaldean. I just left the North when I heard about the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho and the new assaults on Mosul. The new destabilization effort to disband and divide the country and citizenry through violence only emboldened my desires to stop the chaos. Mosul, with Iraqi expatriate participation, will be the epicenter of a healthy, wealthy and wise community in Iraq. I knew this will happen one day as I walked through the Chaldean Culture Center in Erbil. St. Thomas the Apostle brought Christianity to Mesopotamia (Iraq) and founded the Chaldean church, and Chaldeans will prosper in Iraq as there is support from leadership. CN: What message do you want to send to others about Iraq? WA: Despite your political perspectives, I am of the opinion that whether I am seeking a martial partner, raising children, building a business team, lifting a failed nation from ruins or seeking global peace, we will never prevail until there is parity in participation. Globalization is opening minds to the infinite possibilities and awakening the most vulnerable, fragile societies, begging the developed world to assist them to integrate and participate among national economies. Also, I believe Iraq’s Ministries do seek to become responsible global citizens. Equally, it is upon great expectations from its people that the governments build and transform the country by converting its natural resources to build its financial wealth, while preserving this wealth for future generations. As such, they must put in place strong governance, build transparency and accountability systems on large-scale infrastructure projects impacting its citizens. Iraq is in the position of becoming the epicenter of economic, commercial and trade activity as well as securing a leading competitive position in the region. Among the 18 governates, almost 14 are safe and open for business in Iraq. Remember that Iraqi ministers and citizens have 35 years of brutality, annihilation and exile experience building opposition and resistance movements. Today, they have been asked to serve in leadership roles where they are still developing such capacities such as budget execution and hydrocarbon legislations as well as reconciliation among competing political agendas. The citizenry, Iraq’s human capital, requires rebuilding its knowledge requirements to par; they will prevail. JUNE 2008 CHALDEAN NEWS 47
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Page 8 and 9: from the EDITOR Chaldeans: Who are
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Page 20 and 21: HALHOLE! [Births] Isabella Maria Fi
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JUNE 2008

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