Sep 29, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
http://vimeo.com/75649279 «After my studies of fashion design I worked for several years in the clothing sector. Providence then gave me a chance to work in a humanitarian organization with a religious sister of the Focolare Movement. Together we brought ahead projects, teaching the women evacuees sewing, embroidery as well as fashion design. In this way we helped them to then find a job in order to support their families. In September 2012, 45 women enrolled for the course. They belonged to all the different faiths present in the country (Sunnites, Shiites, Christians, Alawites, Druze) and of various political tendencies. They had only one thing in common: they were evacuees and had lost everything. There were very strong and evident tensions between them, they even refused to stay in the same place. One day I found the answer in the Word of Life. It was like an advice: if I wanted to do the will of God “who makes the sun rise on the good and the bad” and He loves us without any discrimination, then my love should also make no distinction. My priority was to treat each one as a person worthy of respect. We saw that little by little these women started to greet one another, to speak to one another, to have a certain contact, a certain relationship that was growing. As weeks passed, these women started to accept their differences and to overcome their diversities, which were instead emphasized in their country outside that center. They shared worries and sufferings and a relationship of true love was established among them. To my surprise, on the feast of Ramadan, the Christian women prepared a little surprise party for the Muslims, full of strong and simple love. The Muslims did the same at Christmas. When the time-out prayer for peace in Syria was launched I decided to propose it to all and I was very surprised the next day when I heard nearly all their mobiles/cell phones ringing at 12 noon to remember the time-out! In June 2013, the day we handed out the diplomas, in the presence of members of International Associations and representatives of the Red Crescent, they were asked which were the most difficult moments during the year. One, on behalf of the whole group, answered that, that day was the most difficult day, because it was the last day in that Centre. She said: “It’s the only place where we are able to breathe and it has always helped us to go ahead, bringing peace in our families and in our hearts.”»
![Nobel Peace Prize recipient Óscar Arias Sánchez adheres to United World Project]()
Sep 27, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Shared commitment to peace. This triggered an immediate understanding between the delegation from Youth for a United World (YUW) and Nobel 1987 Peace Prize recipient and the then president of Costa Rica. Arias had been visiting Rome to attend a Community of St. Egidio conference on the United Nation’s Arms Trade Treaty, and an audience with Pope Francis. The purpose of the meeting was to find forms of collaboration with the Arias Foundation for peace and human development , since the YUW already work for peace and brotherhood. The young people who were present at the meeting from several nations recounted the history of their efforts for peace, beginning from the 350 thousand signatures they collected during the Cold War and handed over to embassies of the of the USSR and the United States in Geneva, Switzerland (November 1985). They went on to present the Time Out launched by Chiara Lubich in September 1990 during the Persian Gulf Crisis; the UNESCO Award for Educating for Peace; the 2012 Genfest in Budapest, Hungary where the United World Project was launched; and the recent meeting between Maria Voce and the Focolare communities of the Middle East that was held in Amman, Jordan, and followed by the concert for peace held by YUW from regions where there is conflict. The Nobel laureat presented to the young people what the Arias Foundation for peace and human development has achieved from its beginnings, its current challenges and future dreams. For example, since there are so many war museums, why not build a Peace Museum? Moreover, Sanchez proposed collaborating with the recently approved UN Arms Trade Treaty that is aimed at putting an end to the marketing of small arms which, in his opinion, are the cause of most of fatalities worldwide. Basing himself on his own experience as President of a nation that by constitution does not have a military army, he affirmed that the reduction of arms would allow many countries to share economic resources that could then be allocated to finding solutions to social problems, such as access to education, health care, protection of the environment and, not least of all, the drama of world poverty. In conclusion he underscored the need for young people be deeply involved in their education so that they will be prepared to create a culture of peace and brotherhood, because: “in a world where egoism and greed seem to prevail, young people are the first ones being called upon to engage new values within society, such as solidarity, suffering together, generosity and love.” 
“Before saying goodbye to us,” Olga from Costa Rica recounts, “he wished to personally adhere to our project (UWP) by signing the commitment statement to live the culture of fraternity, uniting himself to the 62,000 other signees from around the world.” “It doesn’t happen every day that you meet someone of this level,” added Iggy from New Zealand: “cultured and pragmatic, but also very simple. I felt very much at home with him.” The conversation went on for an hour, during which many projects and goals were shared. The next big event for the Youth for a United World is the Youth Forum at UNESCO in October 2013. “It will be a training course in which our ideal of fraternity will be presented and explained” says one of the youths who will be representing the Youth for a United World, the youth section of the New Humanity Movement.
Sep 26, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
http://vimeo.com/75469803 «Caritas Jordan is an entity affiliated to the Catholic Church headed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. It has been in Jordan for 45 years and is part of Caritas International.» These are the words of the director, Wael Suleiman. He continues: «Caritas Jordan has responded to the appeal of the Church to take care of the Syrian refugees. We have recorded 1 million and 300 thousand Syrians who have entered Jordan, including 130,000 registered to Caritas. We provide them with medical care, educational services and humanitarian aid. It certainly is difficult for Jordan to welcome such a large number of refugees with the few resources of the country: water, petroleum, and all the economic problems. But Jordan does not want to close the doors. The King has ordered that the borders remain open to serve our Syrian brothers and sisters. At this moment we all try to live solidarity.» Suhad Zarafili is the administrator of the projects for Caritas Jordan: «One of our programs – she explains – is the volunteer program: we have around 30 committees, with more than one thousand volunteers, Christians and Muslims. They were the ones who started doing the field visit to find the needy Syrian refugees in all our areas.» Carole is one of the volunteers. «I am very happy – she shares – that God has given me the opportunity to work with Caritas and to help the Syrians. I too am a Syrian so in a certain way I understand better what they feel, it’s a mutual feeling. They have a lot of sufferings, they need many things: the association embraces them and tries to give them all the possible aid, until our God will solve the situation.» «I belong to the Focolare Movement – continues Director Wael Suleiman – and this spirituality, lived by so many here at Caritas, helps us to go out into the world, outside our small circle where we live and work, so as to love everyone more. Living the spirituality of unity, we have now formed a “cell” within the Caritas, which has helped all this progress so that those who come here may experience not only assistance, but the spirit and the life behind this aid.»
Sep 26, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
http://vimeo.com/75469803
«Caritas Jordan is an entity affiliated to the Catholic Church headed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. It has been in Jordan for 45 years and is part of Caritas International.» These are the words of the director, Wael Suleiman. He continues: «Caritas Jordan has responded to the appeal of the Church to take care of the Syrian refugees. We have recorded 1 million and 300 thousand Syrians who have entered Jordan, including 130,000 registered to Caritas. We provide them with medical care, educational services and humanitarian aid. It certainly is difficult for Jordan to welcome such a large number of refugees with the few resources of the country: water, petroleum, and all the economic problems. But Jordan does not want to close the doors. The King has ordered that the borders remain open to serve our Syrian brothers and sisters. At this moment we all try to live solidarity.»
Suhad Zarafili is the administrator of the projects for Caritas Jordan: «One of our programs – she explains – is the volunteer program: we have around 30 committees, with more than one thousand volunteers, Christians and Muslims. They were the ones who started doing the field visit to find the needy Syrian refugees in all our areas.»
Carole is one of the volunteers. «I am very happy – she shares – that God has given me the opportunity to work with Caritas and to help the Syrians. I too am a Syrian so in a certain way I understand better what they feel, it’s a mutual feeling. They have a lot of sufferings, they need many things: the association embraces them and tries to give them all the possible aid, until our God will solve the situation.»
«I belong to the Focolare Movement – continues Director Wael Suleiman – and this spirituality, lived by so many here at Caritas, helps us to go out into the world, outside our small circle where we live and work, so as to love everyone more. Living the spirituality of unity, we have now formed a “cell” within the Caritas, which has helped all this progress so that those who come here may experience not only assistance, but the spirit and the life behind this aid.»
Sep 26, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
http://vimeo.com/75469803
«Caritas Jordan is an entity affiliated to the Catholic Church headed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. It has been in Jordan for 45 years and is part of Caritas International.» These are the words of the director, Wael Suleiman. He continues: «Caritas Jordan has responded to the appeal of the Church to take care of the Syrian refugees. We have recorded 1 million and 300 thousand Syrians who have entered Jordan, including 130,000 registered to Caritas. We provide them with medical care, educational services and humanitarian aid. It certainly is difficult for Jordan to welcome such a large number of refugees with the few resources of the country: water, petroleum, and all the economic problems. But Jordan does not want to close the doors. The King has ordered that the borders remain open to serve our Syrian brothers and sisters. At this moment we all try to live solidarity.»
Suhad Zarafili is the administrator of the projects for Caritas Jordan: «One of our programs – she explains – is the volunteer program: we have around 30 committees, with more than one thousand volunteers, Christians and Muslims. They were the ones who started doing the field visit to find the needy Syrian refugees in all our areas.»
Carole is one of the volunteers. «I am very happy – she shares – that God has given me the opportunity to work with Caritas and to help the Syrians. I too am a Syrian so in a certain way I understand better what they feel, it’s a mutual feeling. They have a lot of sufferings, they need many things: the association embraces them and tries to give them all the possible aid, until our God will solve the situation.»
«I belong to the Focolare Movement – continues Director Wael Suleiman – and this spirituality, lived by so many here at Caritas, helps us to go out into the world, outside our small circle where we live and work, so as to love everyone more. Living the spirituality of unity, we have now formed a “cell” within the Caritas, which has helped all this progress so that those who come here may experience not only assistance, but the spirit and the life behind this aid.»
Sep 26, 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
http://vimeo.com/75469803
«Caritas Jordan is an entity affiliated to the Catholic Church headed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. It has been in Jordan for 45 years and is part of Caritas International.» These are the words of the director, Wael Suleiman. He continues: «Caritas Jordan has responded to the appeal of the Church to take care of the Syrian refugees. We have recorded 1 million and 300 thousand Syrians who have entered Jordan, including 130,000 registered to Caritas. We provide them with medical care, educational services and humanitarian aid. It certainly is difficult for Jordan to welcome such a large number of refugees with the few resources of the country: water, petroleum, and all the economic problems. But Jordan does not want to close the doors. The King has ordered that the borders remain open to serve our Syrian brothers and sisters. At this moment we all try to live solidarity.»
Suhad Zarafili is the administrator of the projects for Caritas Jordan: «One of our programs – she explains – is the volunteer program: we have around 30 committees, with more than one thousand volunteers, Christians and Muslims. They were the ones who started doing the field visit to find the needy Syrian refugees in all our areas.»
Carole is one of the volunteers. «I am very happy – she shares – that God has given me the opportunity to work with Caritas and to help the Syrians. I too am a Syrian so in a certain way I understand better what they feel, it’s a mutual feeling. They have a lot of sufferings, they need many things: the association embraces them and tries to give them all the possible aid, until our God will solve the situation.»
«I belong to the Focolare Movement – continues Director Wael Suleiman – and this spirituality, lived by so many here at Caritas, helps us to go out into the world, outside our small circle where we live and work, so as to love everyone more. Living the spirituality of unity, we have now formed a “cell” within the Caritas, which has helped all this progress so that those who come here may experience not only assistance, but the spirit and the life behind this aid.»
