Focolare Movement

Volunteering in Jordanian Refugee Camps

Jun 21, 2016

A proposal of the Focolare Movment’s New Humanity in collaboration with Caritas Jordan, Starmacher and other associations. The project’s aim is to document stories and events linked to the dramatic exodus taking place in the Middle East.

staticflickr_com_3_2884_9660903303_c76f11ef2d_b_cropped

Refugee camp, Jordan. Photo credit: Flickr

A letter from Amman, Jordan, signed by Wael Suleiman, Director of Caritas Jordan, who oversees the arrival of refugees from Iraq, Syria and Paletsine: “Life has no sense anymore for the people in the Middle East. Darkness everywhere. Fear. Death. Hatred. Refugees. Camps. But the ideal that keeps us going, in spite of it all is the daily discovery of God who is still there, who is still Love and loves us immensely and that love is still stronger..”. This is the strong belief that keeps the Director of Caritas Jordan moving. And his faith is accompanied by action, the daily efforts of many volunteers, as well as the outside help that comes from several international projects. Among them is “HOST SPOT” proposed by New Humanity, an NGO, with associates from 9 European and Middle Eastern countries for spreading a culture of understanding and the promotion of human rights. On August 7 – August 19, 2016 a group of young people from different countries will go to volunteer at welcoming centres in Jordan. The experience will give them a face-to-face encounter with what refugees face each day. The young people are from all backgrounds and are prepared to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to engage in the production of documentaries that tell the real life stories of the refugees and promote freedom of expression. The project includes a meeting with  refugees who are fleeing the Syrian and Iraqi conflict and seeking refuge in Jordan. Logo_Erasmus+HOST SPOT is financed by the European Community Erasmus +. The name plays on the European notion of a ‘hot spot’ as a point of arrival where refugees can be welcomed. The word “SPOT” stands for the short commercial-like television or radio spots that will be part of major television and radio programming, and the production of a major video. After Jordan, a training course is planned for Turkey in October 2016. It will offer training in journalism and storytelling for the promotion of human rights and, in particular, freedom of expression. A further course will be held in Germany in March 2017 for developing basic technical production skills for social documentaries with live filming. There will be opportunities to meet the refugees in the German refugee camps and compare different approaches and systems for welcoming them. The project that underscores encounter and reciprocity hopes to document and film the personal stories and daily life of refugees in the camps, providing the public with more information for understanding the refugees, and for informing their conscience.   Info: info@new-humanity.org Maria Chiara De Lorenzo

___

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

Christians protagonists of dialogue

Christians protagonists of dialogue

29th June is the feast of Saints Peter and Paul and is a significant day in the ecumenical sphere. On this date we publish some interviews with Christians from various Churches

This curse of war

This curse of war

Igino Giordani, when writing his memoirs, reflected on the terrible period of the First World War, in which he himself had to enlist, saying, “I saw the absurdity, the stupidity and above all the sin of war…”, as Benedict XV called it, the ‘useless massacre’. His words challenge us to think about how history could teach us to work for peace today, by opposing the new, absurd, useless massacres of our century.

Jubilee of youth: pilgrims of journey, hope, reconciliation

Jubilee of youth: pilgrims of journey, hope, reconciliation

A pilgrimage in Rome during the event that will see the participation of young people from all over the world. It will follow the historical itinerary of the Seven Churches with catechesis, prayer, testimonies, spiritual insights inspired by the charism of unity, music and sharing.