George Arende who is very active in the youth ministry of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church sent me this article. It describes the effects of war from the perspective of those who had to flee the war:
“Fuheis, Jordan, June, 2007-We are in Fuheis West Amman in Jordan, an area that is largely occupied by 60% of Iraqi refugees living in Amman. The town is crowded meaning most of social amenities are stretched to capacity. Most families share apartments… one such family is that of Mrs. Brenita and her sister Berita.
Brenita is a woman of four children, three girls and one boy. At 42, she has experienced a lot. Her story is moving…a recollection of painful experience in Iraq and now in Jordan. As we enter her house, hardly have we spent a minute before water is served to us by one of her younger daughter. The other children are criss-crossing the living room, trying to catch a glimpse of us. Within no time we are all set for introductions to pave way for our one-on-one discussion. Am accompanied by one Jordanian woman (who I met in the hotel a couple of days ago; she is helping me with translations).
Brenita starts by telling us where she lived in Iraq before coming to Jordan. ‘I lived in Al-rasfr in Baghdad before I came to Jordan’. The situation in Iraq was too harsh for her to bear and hence had to move. ‘In Iraq there are no jobs, my children are not secure, we receive death threats from militia….our children do not have a future’.-she told us. She went further. ‘My husband was very rich in Iraq…I do not understand why my children have to live like this’.(her face suddenly changes, sadness reveals as she starts sobbing).
In any war the affected and most vulnerable groups include women and children. The realities for Brenita’s family forced her out of comfort she enjoyed in Iraq some 8 years ago. ‘I sold all my furniture’s….and all my belongings to leave Iraq’-narrated Brenita. As many other Iraq refugees living in Jordan, she commuted from Baghdad on a bus, a journey which took her with her family 24 hours to reach Amman.
Brenita’s husband left 6years ago to search for an alternative life ‘better life’. His dreams of settling in Sweden were thwarted (maybe the gods were not on his side) arrested and detained by Nepal authority. She hasn’t seen him since then. Berita (40) has a similar story; she has three children under her care. She last saw her husband thirteen years ago. As her brother-in-law; her husband was arrested with forged passport while on transit to Sweden and arrested. Berita tearful explained. ‘Since my husband left, he hasn’t called….at times I do think he went for good’.
Both sisters have bills to settle and more so ‘hope’ to re-assure their children. ‘I do two jobs…cleaning floors, dusting people’s houses and I work in a glass factory’-Said Brenita. Her sister used to work in elders care center in Amman; but stopped due to back ache. Money is hard to come by for many Iraq families… schools in Jordan are reserved for the rich, with the affordable public schools restricted for Iraq refugees. Berita said-‘our children stay at home…. Schools in Jordan are expensive… life is miserable here in Jordan…but I prefer being in Jordan that being dead in Iraq’.
When asked about her future, Brenita said. ‘I have no future…life is difficult…back at home miserable…so what do we do? We are desperate’. Berita’s son Heros is only 15years but works in a local supermarket since her mother cannot afford to pay her school fees. He works for 14 hours a day 8am-10pm and only earns 2JD (USD2.8). Iraqi refugees in Jordan are not allowed to work; whenever they do, it is illegal and hence are under-paid. ‘I have to work to support my family…if I have time to study and not work… I can become a doctor’-Heros explained.
The only hope to millions of Iraqi women and children like Brenita and Heros living in Jordan is to be supported with education, medical care, food and non-food items to transform their lives into comfort is the case for many worldwide. If only we can divide the effort and multiply the effect.”
