Day 1 Reflection for Islamic Relief Women’s Empowerment Trip to Jordan: Layers of Relief- Navigating Hope and Frustration
Reflection Day 1 for Islamic Relief Women’s Empowerment Trip to Jordan: Layers of Relief- Navigating Hope and Frustration
Today was both an uplifting and perspective-shifting day as we traveled to both Ramtha and Mafraq, two cities that host many of the Syrian refugees in Jordan. To give some context, Jordan is a country that hosts over 600,000 Syrian refugees and 1.3 million refugees in total- including our Palestinian, Somali, and Iraqi brothers and sisters. The high cost of living coupled with high unemployment makes it nearly impossible for refugees to obtain any type of job in the country and they rely heavily on Islamic Relief and other relief organizations to get their basic necessities met.
Islamic Relief is focused on building a more sustainable model and has invested in creating a training program that teaches women how to become entrepreneurs through embroidery, accessory making, and crocheting. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Huda who beamed with pride as she showed me her beautiful crochet pieces while explaining how her newfound passion has allowed her to be a better, more confident mother. “Sometimes, my husband gets jealous when I spend so much time on my pieces, so I rush to hide them before he walks in,” she exclaimed with enthusiasm as we all chuckled with a sense of understanding. “Time passes so quickly. Everything seems to fade in the background. I don’t care that the tv is on too loudly. I’m grateful that my hands are being used to do something useful. May Allah allow me to open up my own shop one day,” Huda said with a wistful look on her face.
Inspiration quickly turned into humility as Abu Said drove us to the Mafraq office where we had the honor of distributing winter blankets and gas tanks to warm the homes of 87 families. While blankets and gas tanks cannot possibly relieve the dire circumstances our brothers and sisters are facing, it does provide some relief and allowed us the opportunity to meet and understand the current situation of refugee life in Jordan. An elderly gentleman who couldn’t work due to disabilities and an inability to receive a work permit, explained how he has taken in his deceased brother’s wife and children, leaving him with 12 mouths to feed. While little Muhammad was excited to flex his muscles lifting the two blanket cases, a man in the background shouted in desperation that what he needs is money, not blankets. His frustration is a stark reminder that relief work is and will continue to be complicated but it’s an ongoing process nonetheless.
I can only pray that the striving I witnessed today will contain within it the blessings of Allah (swt) and He will allow the water to spring forth from a deserted land as He allowed for Hajar and Ismail to drink from zamzam when their circumstances seemed bleak. I ask Allah to open the doors of His provision to all those who are seeking it and I ask that we remain conduits for good in any capacity 🤲🏽.
https://www.launchgood.com/…/marwa_aly_for_syrian_women_ref…
