Key person: Isam Ghattas
The women benefitting from the sewing and embroidery training are now Iraqi refugees, the majority of Syrian refugees having been assisted by the UN to relocate to other countries. We talked with a few of the people at the centre in Fuheis; most of them are Iraqi Christian refugees. They described the difficulties they face – the persecution they faced as Christians in the conflict in Iraq, the fact that they are not eligible for residency in Jordan, unable to get jobs, and are not prioritized by the UN for relocation to other countries.
However, despite these issues which they face, we sensed that these refugees greatly appreciate the opportunities at the Centre – getting sewing skills and learning English (we sat in on an English class led by an Iraqi Christian).
Many, if not all, of the refugees want to emigrate but face long delays in the processing of their applications to the authorities.
There is an obvious delight for those attending the Centre as they have these opportunities to pick up practical life skills.
We were encouraged to see the Centre at Fuheis, the warm atmosphere generated by the admin leaders and teachers, and the appreciation expressed by a good number of the people we met. We could see that these people were being significantly helped psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.
A comment made by one of the leaders showed that a number of the Iraqi Christians are quite nominal in their faith when they come to Jordan, but they begin to experience the love of Christ through the practical help of the Manara ministries and their faith experience gets enlivened, their faith commitment becomes stronger, more vibrant.