Buy Shoes. Save Lives. by the Preemptive Love Coalition

Preemptive Love Coalition exists
to eradicate the backlog of thousands of children in Iraq WAITING IN LINE FOR LIFE SAVING HEART SURGERIES
in pursuit of peace between communities at odds.

We train Iraqi doctors and nurses to save kids' lives inside Iraq...

We also send kids outside Iraq for lifesaving heart surgeries when necessary.

Chemical Warfare, Sanctions, & Intra-Family Marriage

Experts think that Saddam Hussein’s 281 chemical attacks and experiments on the Kurds of northern Iraq contribute to the high rate of life-threatening heart disease among children in the region today.

Others cite U.N. sanctions and the massive spike in infant and child mortality throughout the mid-nineties for many of the problems among children and youth in Iraq today. Widespread corruption and the deliberate withholding of essential human services led to rampant malnutrition and disease in Iraq on a scale so vast that it led to the resignations of the U.N. Coordinator for Iraq and other U.N. leaders. The sanctions were widely criticized by U.S. and world policy-makers for never really harming Saddam.

Intra-family marriage—a practice common in tribal societies and reinforced by histories of ethnic cleansing—is still practiced by many today and probably also contributes to the prevalence of these diseases.

Founding of Buy Shoes. Save Lives. and the Preemptive Love Coalition

In July 2007, Jeremy & Jessica Courtney and Cody Fisher came face-to-face with the overwhelming reality of thousands of children waiting in line for life-saving heart surgery. With a background in grant-writing and fundraising, the trio knew that they did not want to start a traditional non-profit. They determined to make the markets bend in favor of the outcast, underdog children of Iraq.

The Courtneys and Fisher launched Buy Shoes. Save Lives. to generate critical funding through a creative blending of commerce and compassion. They loved the traditional handmade Kurdish shoes and they suspected that others around the world might like them as well—especially when the purchase of every pair of Klash would help fund a life-saving heart surgery for an Iraqi child.

As this movement gained momentum, more staff was added and the Preemptive Love Coalition was officially incorporated in February 2008, immediately multiplying the means through which people could come together to save lives.

Through our Remedy Missions - international surgical missions we bring into Iraq to provide immediate surgeries and long-term training of Iraqi healthcare professionals - we train Iraqi doctors and nurses toward long-term self-sufficiency so they can serve their people without the help of outsiders. We don't know what the future holds, but it looks extremely hopeful for thousands of Iraqi children with a Klash-wearing coalition like you on their side.

THIS TANK
SAVES LIVES
In honor of the revolutions and protests taking place across the Middle East, we're giving you a chance to join in. People calling for better health care and better jobs. And that's just what we're about in Iraq.

When you buy this shirt, we bring heart surgery teams to Iraq to train local doctors so they can save the lives of their own kids. We call it Remedy Mission, and this is how you become the Remedy!

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One baby boy in southern Iraq...
Next in Line for Surgery

Meet baby Hamma. He lives in southern Iraq and needs urgent heart surgery. We met Hamma on our Remedy Mission to southern Iraq, where our surgical team was planning to mend his heart. But a lack of beds in the local ICU caused his surgery to be delayed three times during the mission. By the time a bed opened up it was too late. Our doctors had to leave town. We promised his mother we would come back for him. We promised one day the remedy would be engrained in the hearts and hands of the local team and would never have to leave town again. You can help bring the Remedy back to southern Iraq and leave it there for good! You can give Hamma his heart surgery by making a purchase or donation below!

Needs one heart surgery to live...

We have helped provide lifesaving surgeries for over 120 Iraqi children in the pursuit of peace. With your help, by the end of 2011 that number will have doubled. When the Preemptive Love Coalition began in 2007, very few were investing in the children of Iraq who were waiting in line for lifesaving heart surgery or their local doctors and nurses. You've helped us turn the tide and tell the stories of the children, the communities, and the hospitals in Iraq whose stories matter. You've helped us bring change by creating local solutions to local problems and investing in Iraq's eager doctors who are ready to be their country's remedy.

When you buy this tank top!

You give lifesaving heart surgeries with every purchase of our Limited Time Spring Break Tank Top. Your $19 purchase sends $12 to help provide heart surgery for Baby Hamma and gives you a meaningful tee with which to tell your friends about how YOU became the Remedy.

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