St. Anne Students Will Make Next Sister-City Connection

Laguna Niguel is hoping to foster a broader cultural understanding through a new school exchange program with Al Qa'im, its sister city in Iraq.

a private Catholic school, was chosen for the Sister Cities International  program for 8- to 10-year-old students. 

City Councilman Robert Ming says the program's goal is to expose children on both sides to the others' culture. "Building mutual understanding and respect will help both sides in the long run," he said. "It is a very worthwhile goal."

Communication Problems

Getting the program off the ground has been a slow and difficult process.  Communication has been a problem:  Besides the language barrier, there is  a time difference of 10 hours between the two cities, which makes scheduling conferences difficult.

"It always seems to be the middle of the night for one of the two classes when the other is in session," Ming said.

"Our next thought is to try and make the connection with something not time-sensitive first—like letters or videos sent back and forth—and then follow up with a call later," Ming said. "We are looking into new technology possibilities that might help that happen."  

Part of a Nationwide Program

The nationwide Sister Cities International program, launched in 1956, strives to foster friendship and cultural understanding between foreign and U.S. cities. Laguna Niguel is one of only 10 cities to have a sister city program with a city in war-torn Iraq. 

Laguna Niguel and Al Qa'im have been sister cities since October 2008. Their involvement was the result of a request from Lt. Col. Jason Bohm, commander of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment in Iraq.

"They had just kicked al-Qaida out of Al Qa'im and formed a very productive collaboration of power structures over there," Ming said. "They were now tasked with more of a nation-building function than war." 

Bohm, he said, "felt that this could strengthen those new relationships and help them turn the corner from a wartime environment to a peacetime environment," Ming said. 

Iraqi Visitor

Al Qa'im's mayor, Farhan Tekan Farhan, has used the opportunity to exchange leadership ideas.

"He was actually able to come here to Laguna Niguel and visit," Ming said. "We were able to address the differences in government structure and go over ideas for running things."

The city has also sent a shipment of medical supplies to Al Qa'im and hopes to expand its medical efforts.

"Mayor Farhan met with the CEO of Mission Hospital while he was here," Ming said. "If we can find good counterparts in Al Qa'im and a good counterpart here who is bilingual and would be able to get to the right places, we'd love to have some kind of medical exchange."