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Sean O’Sullivan ’85 went to Baghdad in March 2003 to make a documentary film about the beginning of the war in Iraq — but he ended up playing a major role in rebuilding a land torn by conflict.
Witnessing the early days of reconstruction efforts by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), O’Sullivan calculated that for much less than what the CPA was spending each month, it was possible to clean up a landscape scarred by bombing and looting while employing Iraqi workers at competitive wages.
O’Sullivan’s initial idea was to demolish the major government buildings damaged beyond repair by coalition bombing and subsequent looting. By employing Iraqis in this effort, he also provided desperately needed jobs — and hope.
Today, O’Sullivan’s non-governmental organization, JumpStart International, employs 3,500 Iraqi engineers, foremen, and laborers at about 85 sites in Baghdad and Fallujah. More than 500 buildings have been cleared for reconstruction and 200 damaged buildings demolished by JumpStart workers. Other current projects include trash clearance and collection, sewage network clearing, and repairing the exteriors of schools, medical buildings, and government facilities. The mission of the year-old organization now extends to building housing, which is in short supply in Iraq. If promised funding comes through, tens of thousands of workers may be employed in the coming months in this effort.
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