Day 1: Reality strikes back

Getting to know each other

Dear friends, we have arrived to Jordan on early Saturday morning. Only three hours after landing, we attended the introductory briefing, where we first met this incredibly diverse group of extremely committed volunteers: 35 participants, aged between 25 and 70, coming from Bolivia, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, USA, UK, Trinidad, Myanmar, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Germany. Other than in previous missions, this mission is joined by a three-person team from the US-American TV channel abc, which is working on a documentary about the Syrian refugees.

First contacts

The NGO we are joining concentrates its efforts on refugees flying under the radar of the international organisations (e.g., those who left the refugee camps because of the unbearable situation, those who need rehab after sniper attacks, bombs, other attacks, etc.). According to their background and experience, the group was split into 6 teams and sent to visit improvised clinics (spinal cord clinic, rehab clinic, etc.) and medical centres around Amman, where they visited those victims of the war: paralysed children and teenagers, paralysed young men with deep wounds (until the bones à Omar had to translate), all of them sharing first-hand accounts and heart-breaking personal stories. More than ever before, the atrocities of this devastating war have become graspable.

Focus: Education!
Together with local experts and professionals, we started to discuss 3 different projects that we would like to support with the help of your donations. All these projects aim at bringing education into these centres. In terms of preventing depressions, giving hope, motivation and perspectives, education is key! We are looking forward to report on these projects more in detail within the coming days.

Thanks for following,

Jasser and Omar

Some Impressions 

Nadia and Baraa (both 13) were hit by grenade splinters when they were running to hide themselves. Today, they are both paralyzed. Nadia, who we got to know as a highly ambitious girl, moved to the been in the rehab center for 17 months.

Abdallah (13) was hit by a grenade splinter on this head. The photo shows the disabled boy with his physical therapist. He arrived to Amman two months ago.

Muwafak (15) is an orphan after both his parents were killed in a rocket attack. When he grows up, he wants to become a teacher, he told us.

  

Obviously, this is just a little selection of the children we have met today. Despite the sad stories, we are happy to see that they are all in good hands now. However, we also know, that the time is running, how big the potential consequences of an increasing educational gap are - the "loss of a generation".