Tomato stew in hope of a Better Future
Tomato stew with zucchini was the menu item at “Qalb Yasou’ (meaning The Heart of Jesus)” church located in Na’our, Amman. Families of Iraqi-Christians who currently call the medium-sized, hall home eat together and talk about their current living conditions as well the harsh situations they have experienced since arriving in Amman.
Fourteen families currently occupy this section of the church, which is decorated with statues of Jesus Christ and icons. Their shared living space consists of a kitchen, a living room, toilets and compartments where families sleep.
Jameel, a 60-year-old Iraqi man from Qarqoush (a town in the Mosul governorate known for having the largest congregation of Christians) his wife, Sameera, 55, and their four children: Dina, 23; Sally, 21; Dan, 21, and Adam, 15, have slept together in one of the small compartments since they arrived at the church at the end of September, 2014. The family fled the fighting, persecution and killings against Christians from Qarqoush to Erbil, then to Einkawa and Sleimaniyah. Eventually, the family found their way to Amman, thanks to Jordan’s King Abdullah II’s initiative to offer a free visa to all Christians fleeing Iraq.
“[This place] felt like prison,” he says.
His children have been enormously affected by leaving their home. Winter was especially difficult on the family. “[This place] felt like prison,” he says.
“[The] children were depressed, water leaked in and we had to wear several layers and socks to keep warm,” he remembers.
Dina, Jameel’s eldest daughter was about to graduate from university with Bachelors in Arabic studies—she had only four exams left to take—before she was forced to flee the city with her family. Although her degree is delayed, she is not giving up. She is now trying to pursue her studies in Amman but it is not easy because she doesn’t have a copy of her transcripts with her. She fears she may have to repeat nearly her whole degree.
“He sleeps the whole day due to frustration,” says Jameel.
Discouragement was a major issue affecting all of Jameel’s children. Dan, who reached the ninth grade, dropped out of school to start working. But, work is hard to come by and the days he is unable to work, he deals with symptoms of depression. “He sleeps the whole day due to frustration,” says Jameel. “He skips breakfast and sometimes lunch. He stays up at night very late, too,” his father added, noting that his children are frustrated because they are not able to study, it’s hard to find work and there isn’t even a safe place for them to play.
World Vision and other organizations are doing what they can to support these refugees. Recently, together with Caritas, World Vision Jordan distributed 76 pieces of clothing to residents of this church. This was just one stop. All together more than 2,230 clothing items were distributed to 175 Iraqi Christians residing in churches in Jordan. Each family member received one set of trousers and jackets to help keep them warm during the winter months.
While the clothes help provide warmth, families face ongoing needs for assistance. Food and hygiene items are among their most urgent needs. One of their greatest needs, that of privacy and hope for the future, however cannot come through a distribution.