The last time Manara International’s team visited Zaatari camp in Jordan (in February), there were around 80,000 Syrian refugees; by May it was reported that there were over 150,000 refugees residing at the camp.
Thankfully, the country will be providing another campsite in the near future to provide more tents and shelter for displaced individuals and families.
It is hard to imagine what the state of this country is in if you are miles away, but know that we see and hear devastating stories from these homeless families. It’s unbearable for us as an NGO to not be able to do more than we can for them.
Prayer is the key
Prayer, of course, is the key to every situation. 1 Thessalonians 5.17, after all, tells us to ‘pray without ceasing’. Please join us in a chorus of prayer as we remember these refugees who have had their lives taken away from them; some literally rather than figuratively. Many of these people who have fled from Syria are Muslims who don’t know the love and hope that God has to offer. Our goal is to provide them with the relief supplies they need to make it day by day, as well as being a display of God’s unconditional love for them.
Unfortunate news is that United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that it will no longer be able to provide funds for the Syrians of Jordan. A spokesperson said: ‘The needs are rising exponentially and we are broke’. This is bad news for the people of Syria living in Jordan. Where will the water that has come from UNICEF come from now? Summer temperatures will soon be on the rise — how will they survive without water for drinking?
Prostitution
Not only are the bare necessities of survival an issue, the social economic matters of these
| photo: Clara Kim
refugees are mind-boggling. There was a news report about the Syrian women inside and outside the camp, women who were selling their bodies to men to make money for food and have money to send back to their families in Syria. One story talked about a 19-year-old who was given over to a young Jordanian man for a dowry. Soon after her family returned to Syria, the man took his new bride to a brothel to make money out of her as a prostitute.
Syrian women (primarily the younger, paler ones with green or blue eyes) are sold to older men (50-80 years old) in Jordan. It’s hard to imagine a family letting go of their daughter to a stranger for money, but desperate times will call for desperate measures … measures that we will probably never understand or comprehend. In a recent news report, a family in dire need of milk to feed their hungry infant had no choice but to sacrifice their teenage daughter to marriage for a dowry.
News like this only applies more pressure upon NGOs like Manara International. We can continue being the voice of these refugees by raising awareness and sharing their stories in order to make a difference in their lives.
Easter gift
Some good news, however, is that before Easter, which in Jordan is celebrated on May 5, Christian literature for the nominal Christians of Amman was distributed. There was a very positive response, especially from the children, who were thrilled to be receiving a gift of their own. Please pray that this gift will be a blessing to each and every one of their souls.
