This picture shocked and moved the entire world. It is sad to say that he is not the only child that has drowned in the sea, trying to reach safety. Many children will end up like him. What a heart breaking image.
In Jordan, many of the refugees are still living in desperate situations and this past week around 200 families gathered what they can to buy tickets and fly to Turkey. Their plan is to cross the sea to Europe from Turkey which is extremely dangerous.
We need your help to keep them in Jordan, we need to help and support them the best way we can. They need to be able to live a life with dignity and respect without the stigma of being a refugee. Everyone deserves a chance to live a good life and with your help we can achieve this.
Manara provided a hot meal for around 300 people, and they were able to choose new items of clothing for themselves.
At another church, Manara was able to provide 220 families with food packages; each package contained cooking oil, rice, tea, sugar, lentil, sand assorted canned foods.
With great joy we announced the opening of the studio apartments that were built to house Christian refugee families.
These studio apartments will house between 60–80 refugees. We hope that through these apartments we will be able to give each family a place where they can have their own space and bathroom. There will be a shared kitchen which the families will use to cook their meals. In front of these apartments there will be a large shared hall where the children can play and parents can sit.
The apartments need to be furnished before the families can move in. There is a need for beds, mattresses, pillows, bed sheets, closets, cribs for babies and other items which may help them feel at home.
On his most recent trip to Erbil, food packages and personal hygiene packages were distributed to many of the refugees there. The children were the main focus of the trip, so a day out in a park was planned for them where they could have a good time and enjoy some fun in the park. They also were able to enjoy a hot meal with rice and meat, a meal that they do not usually get to eat.
In the coming week, Isam will be travelling to the U.S to be with his daughter for her second open heart operation. Please keep her in your prayers.
Also, while in the U.S. Isam will be undergoing some check-ups and tests. Keep him in your prayers as well.
A day trip was planned for the high school campers who attended the camps this year. It was a great way for the campers to spend a Friday before the school year started. This trip was designed to be fun and entertaining for the campers while also reconnecting with friends and leaders they met this summer. Around 150 people enjoyed their day in Gilead. They had a wonderful time playing games and enjoying nature all around them. It was a great chance to see how the camps affected their life and how they have changed.
We at Manara International are working on various projects that aim to comfort and support as many Christian refugees as possible. Thank you for your compassion and for your friendship. You are a constant encouragement to all of us at Manara. May the God of peace be with you and those you love.
The Manara International Team