Rónán Costello from Meath, and siblings Áine Ní Bhriain and Liam O’Brien from Kildare were among those who came from Europe, Middle East, Argentina, United States and New Zealand. They stayed in Madaba for 12 days in a camp that up till six months before had housed 114 Iraqi refugees.
Aine Ní Bhriain said: “I think it is really amazing that we are staying in places where refugee families would have stayed.” She said that on the wall beside her bed there were still two little cartoon picture cut-outs from cereal boxes , no doubt left by the children of the family who previously occupied the room.
The young people heard first-hand accounts from Salam who had fled his comfortable eight bedroom house and had to go live in a caravan. Another man Sameh spoke of how ISIS destroyed his thriving business leaving him with nothing only the clothes on his back.
Host Spot, as the project was called, was sponsored by 10 NGO’s from 9 nations and funded by the European Commission and Caritas Jordan organised the logistics.
The young people visited Syrian and Iraqi families awaiting relocation to other parts of the world. This enabled them to meet face to face something they saw on the news and to put names on the faces and hear real life stories of refugees.
The participants did practical work like painting murals and repairing facilities as well as visiting pre-schools and playing with refugee children, many of who are orphaned.
Rónán Costello, from Co Meath, said he was apprehensive about going to Jordan without knowledge of the language or customs, but he received such a welcome and warmth.
“Have you ever felt for a single moment the slightest bit afraid to reach a hand out to a stranger of different race or ethnicity, have you ever hesitated for even a second?” he said. “I know I have, not because I thought that these people were bad but because I didn’t know what or who they were. So when I found myself deep in the Middle East without a word of Arabic or even an understanding of their way of life I felt lost. But lost only for a few seconds. Because while I thought it would be the differences that would define my experience, it was actually the unbelievable similarities that stunned me and defined what I will bring back to my world.”
He visited Petra, known as one of the seven wonders of the world for its breath-taking beauty, but the people made it for him. “Their culture and way of living is the true beauty of Petra,” he said.
He met a man called Solaiman, a native bedouin who said that he wanted to give hospitality and show the world that he didn’t want their money.
“He showed me the real beauty of the Middle East. He showed me what In Ireland, is so hard to find,” said Ronan. “He with nothing but a cup of tea in a cave at the side of the mountains showed me the world.”
Ronan expressed the hope that everyone open their hearts and minds to the refugees who need it most. “Once you do you will know it to be true, that they are more similar to you than your closest friends and family,” he said.
At Host Spot participants informed each other about their own countries’ asylum and refugee services. The three Irish explained that the system for receiving refugees is ready in Ireland. But the slow progress in relocating them to Ireland is frustrating for the many Irish communities that want to help. There are also those in Ireland who are more reluctant to receive refugees given the homeless crisis and unemployment and fear.
Participants at Host Spot were also concerned about how the issues are being reported in mainstream media. They recorded with truth and dignity the stories, and above all the hopes, of people who had fled their countries. They have been putting the video clips and photos out on social media.
