Jordan
“This is for me?” One of the ladies asked, looking at the beautiful hand-held mirror she just decorated. Her question is perhaps not surprising. For these village women, much of life is spent meeting the needs of others – cooking, cleaning, serving guests, sometimes working outside the home to support the family income, helping their children study, and caring for the specific needs of their child with a disability. Opportunities to lay aside their responsibilities and just come together as women are rare.
This is one of the reasons why Operation Mercy staff and local staff decided to invite the mothers of the children to the centre on a hot Saturday morning in May to do handicrafts together. At the beginning, when the mothers started to arrive, conversation was quiet. Not all of the mothers had met each other before. After a brief opening welcome from one of the volunteers, the first activity began. Holding a ball of yarn, the first woman said her name and then threw the ball to someone else—still holding onto the thread of yarn. At the end of the activity, the yarn stretched between all of the ladies in a crisscrossing pattern.
“What does this look like?” One of the Operation Mercy staff asked.
“A web,” the ladies answered. “A net.”
“What does this remind you of?”
Their responses were a little bit more varied.
“We are all connected.”
“We help one another.”
From there, everyone moved to a back room which was set up for the main activity. Step by step the ladies were led through the process of decoupage – decorating small mirror frames with colorful tissue. The room quickly transformed into a chaos of cutting, gluing, pasting, conversations, smiles, and laughter. At the end each woman proudly held onto her creation.
As women started to leave to return home, the remaining women conversed quietly. One mother began to share with another about the recent loss of her son who had a disability. As the other mother listened with compassion, she expressed how few people understand how precious their children with disabilities are. It was a brief conversation, but in that moment, suddenly they were connected by their shared love and understanding for their children. It was as if they were seeing their own experiences—the joys and sorrows—mirrored in another.
Each Child is Valuable
“I’ve learnt from you that each child is created by God and valuable, and I want to do my best to love and raise her like you would” she said
Walking Through Challenges Together
“Everyone has faced different challenges in their lives,” Hamza says. “If one of us cannot walk through one of these challenges, a [fellow] participant can help him overcome this challenge.
Sing Hello
“Fahid, it is your turn to sing!” Our volunteers encourage and then, with a little bit of prompting, Fahid begins to sing for us.
Incorporating Technology with Traditional Farming Practices
A new generation of younger farmers, having access to the internet, are considering how to incorporate technology with traditional farming practices.
“Will we finally move now?”
“Will we finally move now?” The smile on Rania’s face was unmistakable. A combination of elation, joy, and anticipation was reflected in her expression as she entered the room and,
Trading Shame for Acceptance
So these women continue on, persevering on behalf of the children and their community, sharing a love and passion that grows warmer with time and over many more cups of hot tea.
Community Health Advocates’ Training
Izzy was one of seven young women who completed our 6 month CHA pilot program. We selected women who had few opportunities in life. Some hadn’t finished school.
Schooling Requires Cooperation
Adnan loves school. His mother smiles with pride and says to the Operation Mercy team, “Every day he wants to go to school.” Naturally gifted with a friendly and bold personality,
Professional and Interpersonal Development
“The people here stood with me,” says Om Waleed*, recounting her young daughter’s need for surgery. “Even though my family is all the way in Syria,
Innovation and creativity are key!
Innovation and creative marketing are a key (and necessary) component of young farmers in Jordan
A Flower and a Dinar
Ahmed holds dear the opportunity he has to illustrate to the participants their worth in the eyes of their Creator.
Surgery For Sarah
The kidney surgery was life saving for Sarah! She is now an active and smiley 1 year old, adored by her older siblings.
A Savings Group Success Story
My name is Ghada, and I am a member of the Artery of Hope Savings Group.
Today, I would like to share a success story—an idea that started with the savings group and grew into a project to cultivate more than 60 dunams of land.
Visits to Farms
Our Agricultural Cooperation for Development (AC4D) project in Jordan is working within communities to support farmers with immediately adoptable and cost-effective technologies to aid in to management of the most pressing issues in smallholder agriculture in the Middle East.
Heart Surgery Saves Grandfather
In our Operation Mercy Community Health clinics in Jordan, we screen patients who need diagnostic tests and specialist follow up.
Change Impacts Relationships and Community
This man speaks of the dynamic relational and inner life that develops when participants move through Keystone’s 3-to-6-month training.
Nutritional Diversity: From Farm to Table
There must be zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower, corn, cabbage, and peppers.
An Event for Mothers
“This is for me?” One of the ladies asked, looking at the beautiful hand-held mirror she just decorated. Her question is perhaps not surprising. For these village women,
Refugee Health Response
In our Community Health Project in Jordan, we are seeing lives transformed through health screening and education. We work in partnership with local organizations, medical professionals,
From Desert Diesel Tank to Fertile Market Garden
10 years into the Syrian conflict, people remain resilient for their children’s sake, and they still hope to go home even if they can’t imagine how that will work out.