Communities in Serbia and Kosovo are benefiting from eight new Medical Information Centers (MICs) brought by WiRED in late November. Executive director Gary Selnow was on-site for the opening ceremonies.

For many years, Iraqi physicians have been denied access to medical developments taking place outside our country. That has made the practice and the study of medicine more difficult and it has denied our professionals the opportunity to offer Iraqi patients the latest, and often most successful diagnoses and treatments. In 2003, WiRED International began supplying our medical schools and teaching hospitals with computer based libraries. The CDs and now hard drive libraries and the many Websites gave our doctors and students an opportunity to read the latest medical journals and catch up on the most recent technical developments. We are eager to see this Medical Information Center project expand from the current facilities to many other hospitals in Iraq. Information is key to our profession and we are pleased that WiRED has been able to assist our medical community with this innovative, effective and most welcomed information support. – Iraqi Ministry of Health

WiRED has successfully installed 19 Medical Information Centers (MICs) in Iraq to date, and will bring another 25 facilities to this country in crisis. For the first time in many years, Iraqi doctors and medical students are accessing the latest Western medical information through the Centers. WiRED director Gary Selnow provides this report from his June 2005 trip to Iraq.

Despite the reality that it has become too dangerous for most NGOs to continue their work in Iraq, WiRED’s programs in the war-torn country are gaining momentum as critical resources for the Iraqi medical community.

On October 12, the Center de salud. Perla Maria Norori—Leon’s main medical school—welcomed a new WiRED Medical Information Center (MIC) to Nicaragua. Students, professors and physicians expressed their gratitude for the center and discussed their circumstances in stark terms at MIC’s opening ceremony.

The Center de salud. Perla Maria Norori—Leon’s main medical school—welcomed a new WiRED Medical Information Center (MIC) to Nicaragua. Students, professors and physicians expressed their gratitude for the center and discussed their circumstances in stark terms at MIC’s opening ceremony.

This is an interesting account of the ups and downs of working in a Community Health Information Center in Kenya. The staff normally meets different obstacles along the way—from rough roads and bad weather to hostile clients. This time they literally have to cross a raging river. What is admirable is their neverending enthusiasm to serve people despite adversity.

WiRED recently expanded its partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in June 2005 by launching a new computer lab in Iraq. Through this partnership, WiRED outfitted the Iraqi Teacher’s Union (ITU) with computer equipment and is now providing a complete training course for ITU officials.