thepromise Orphan’s Promise newsletter | November 2018
thepromise
making an impact in Jordan by Karen Springs, Regional Project Manager, Orphan’s Promise
Orphan’s Promise newsletter | November 2018
Daoud was just 11 years old when his family fled their home in
Syria to find refuge in neighboring Jordan. He vividly remembers when men stormed into his house with weapons and forced his family out of their home. The ongoing war in Syria had prevented Daoud from ever starting school in his home country, which meant that when he arrived in Jordan, he didn’t know how to read or write.
thepromise
Instead of being enrolled in school, Daoud went to work to help his family survive in Jordan. He helped his father by collecting dry bread from garbage sites in the town, and they turned the bread into croutons to sell and earn a meager income for their family. This method of survival continued for five years, and as a result Daoud never had an opportunity to attend school. When the staff of the Orphan’s Promise non-formal education program learned about Daoud and his family, they invited him to attend the weekly classes they were holding for Syrian refugee children. Suhail, the school’s director, recognized Daoud’s desire to learn and wanted to give him the opportunity to be able to read and write. Now 16, Daoud was thrilled at the chance to finally attend school. He started classes just six months ago, and the teachers shared that Daoud has made excellent progress in that short time. They see how thankful he is at having the chance to learn and report that he has already learned how to read and write basic sentences. “I love studying here,” Daoud told our regional project manager. “I love the teachers, and I want to be just like Suhail, the director, when I grow up. Suhail gave me a chance at a new life. He is the one who helps our family, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity he has given me to study here in this program!”
Orphan’s Promise newsletter | November 2018
Regional Project Manager Karen Springs (back left) with Daoud (back right) and children from the program
CHILDREN IN THEIR TRUEST FORM It was a hot afternoon in northern Jordan when I arrived to spend the day visiting the non-formal education program we are supporting for Syrian refugee children. I heard the voices of laughter and commotion before I could even see the playground filled with children. As I turned the corner and the playground came into view, I paused and let my eyes take in the beautiful faces of the 72 children who were running around laughing and playing. After visiting refugee children in several Middle East locations, I have noticed one striking similarity: they are just children. Children like yours, who love to play and be silly and take selfies with their friends—or with the novel foreigner who happens to be visiting. They are children who want to go to school and be normal and not have to worry about whether or not they are safe. Glancing at the playground, you would never suspect that each child possesses a unique story of terror and survival. You would never imagine that these happy children had fled Syria with their families because of a war that has now entered its seventh year. Instead, you would only see the faces of kids doing their best to be kids.
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Though an official count of Syrians living in Jordan is difficult to calculate, since not all refugees are documented, it is estimated that there are between 1.4 and 2 million refugees living in Jordan. Due to the influx of children, it has been very challenging for the Jordanian government to provide adequate education to Syrian children. As a result, many kids fall through the cracks of a broken and overcrowded system. Thanks to a partnership with a local Jordanian church, Orphan’s Promise is providing education to many refugee children and giving them a chance to learn reading, writing, mathematics, English and Arabic. Since many of the children were unable to attend school in Syria due to the war, our teachers have been starting with the very basics to bring kids up to their grade level. Additionally, Orphan’s Promise helped provide training for the staff to better equip them with the skills needed to work with children who have experienced significant trauma.
there are between 1.4 and 2 million refugees living in Jordan
As I interacted with the kids on that hot afternoon and asked them questions about what they loved most about the education program, answer after answer remained the
Orphan’s Promise newsletter | November 2018
same. Their faces would light up, and with delight each child would have an answer that included: “the teachers!” A boy named Hamed shared, “They are so kind and help us study well. I have so many things I could say to say thank you. I have a letter at home I have written—I guess I should bring it, but it says thank you.” Suhail, a kind and robust Jordanian man who oversees the program, told me how the staff has seen so much change in the children since they started attending the lessons. “At the beginning, when we would have the kids draw pictures their drawings were filled with images of war and bombs. After several months their drawings began to change, and now we are seeing rivers and rainbows and pictures of their friends. I believe that we are changing the mindset of future generations by educating these children here. They are now free from the possibility of being forced to believe ISIS ideology, and instead we are teaching them about love. It is our mission to do a good job for these children.”
give us a call: 1-800-818-4016 orphanspromise.org Orphan’s Promise, a children’s ministry of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., serves orphans and other vulnerable children around the world, taking them from at-risk to thriving through the transforming power of God’s love. CBN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your contributions to our ministry are tax-deductible.