" !"#$% '("%#) *+,-.++ '-//+" 011+#2 *+13"4 CrLhodox lnlLlaLlve and Mlddle LasL Councll of Churches Amman, !ordanAugusL 2013 We are comlng Lo Lhe end of anoLher summer. lor a second Llme Lhls year, Lhe weaLher ln !ordan has been unusual. 1hls pasL week, a heaL wave sLruck !ordan sendlng Lhe LemperaLures lnLo Lhe 40s-Celslus (100s-lahrenhelL) ln Amman, and even hlgher ln oLher parLs of Lhe counLy. Along wlLh Lhe heaL came large sand sLorms, unusual ln norLhern !ordan. 1hrough Lhe summer, !ordan has sLlll been Lhe home for mllllons of dlsplaced people ln Lhe Mlddle LasL. uay by day, Lhe number of Syrlan and lraql refugees fleelng Lhelr homes for safer places conLlnues Lo grow, all whlle lnLernaLlonal coverage and aLLenLlon ls noL enough. Pere aL Lhe CrLhodox lnlLlaLlve of Lhe Mlddle LasL Councll of Churches, we have been conLlnulng our work Lhrough Lhe summer Lo brlng essenLlal lLems Lo Lhose ln our communlLy who need Lhem mosL. 1hls summer, wlLh Lhe unusual weaLher and conLlnulng confllcLs, Lhese needs are ampllfled. As Lhe confllcLs ln Lhe reglon conLlnue, dlsplaced people and refugees are sLarLlng Lo move lnLo long-Lerm houslng opLlons. As Lhe camps ln Lhe norLh of !ordan have become over populaLed, refugees have been movlng LhroughouL Lhe counLry. Many of Lhem have found Lhemselves ln Amman llvlng ln small aparLmenLs ln Lhe lower lncome secLlons of Lhe clLy, where Lhe prlces of renL are less expenslve. lnLernaLlonal donors ofLen fund Lhese aparLmenLs for shorL perlods, such as an embassy renLlng a cerLaln number of aparLmenLs for slx-monLh perlods and flndlng famllles Lo llve ln Lhem. 1he ChrlsLlan communlLles who have been fleelng lraq slnce Lhe summer of 2014 have faced Lhe same challenges. When many of Lhem came Lo !ordan, local churches and church communlLles were Lhe flrsL Lo hosL Lhem. As Lhe year wenL on, Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhem have moved lnLo aparLmenLs ln surroundlng nelghborhoods. AlLhough many have had Lhe opporLunlLy Lo move lnLo prlvaLe spaces, Lhese aparLmenLs are sparse- ofLen unfurnlshed, worn down, and ln need of essenLlal lLems Lo llve wlLh dlgnlLy. ln addlLlon, some of Lhese aparLmenLs have loLs of mold, lncreaslng Lhe fuLure rlsks of healLh and resplraLory lssues- yeL anoLher challenge for Lhese famllles LhaL have faced so much. # Cur 2013 summer appeal soughL Lo allevlaLe Lhese condlLlons and meeL some of Lhe desperaLe needs of Lhe Syrlan and lraql refugees ln !ordan. 1hrough our appeal, we were able Lo provlde food parcels, refrlgeraLors, fans, waLer coolers, washlng machlnes, and ovens Lo Lhe mosL vulnerable. 1he food parcels we dlsLrlbuLed were larger Lhan normal, lncludlng 76 lLems, glvlng food Lo beneflclarles LhaL wlll lasL for a longer perlod beLween dlsLrlbuLlons.WlLh Lhe summer heaL, fans are necessary Lo have a full nlghL of sleep, refrlgeraLors Lo keep food fresh and safe, and waLer coolers Lo keep famllles hydraLed. All of Lhese are baslc challenges faced by refugees, and access Lo Lhese lLems help Lo make llfe away from home more bearable. Cur dlsLrlbuLlon was focused ln Lwo maln places: Lhe Syrlan CrLhodox Church ln Swelfeh, locaLed ln wesL Amman, and Lhe CaLhollc Armenlan Church ln Ashraflya, locaLed ln easL Amman. ln beLween Lhe Lwo maln dlsLrlbuLlons, our Leam vlslLed wlLh famllles llvlng ln aparLmenLs close Lo Lhe CaLhollc Armenlan Church, Lo hear Lhelr sLorles, undersLand where Lhey are llvlng, and Lo dellver and unpack larger lLems, such as Lhe refrlgeraLors and waLer coolers. lor Lhls dlsLrlbuLlon, we had many lLems LhaL requlred assembllng, heavy llfLlng, and movlng. 8aLher Lhan hlrlng from ouLslde companles Lo do Lhese Lasks, we looked Lowards Lhe refugee communlLy LhaL we are supporLlng. Cn a pro[ecL basls, we hlred lraql and Syrlan refuges Lo do Lhls work. ln exchange for help wlLh Lhe dlsLrlbuLlons, we were able Lo glve Lhose who helped a Loken of graLlLude" ln exchange for Lhelr work. Syrlan and lraql refugees llvlng ln !ordan cannoL obLaln work permlLs, even lf Lhey are llvlng ouLslde of camps. 1hls ls pollcy ls applled Lo refugees LhroughouL Lhe world, and lL ls ln place unLll Lhe refugee recelves reseLLlemenL and naLlonallLy. Cnly Lhen wlll Lhey be LreaLed as full clLlzens. lor !ordan, Lhls wlll noL Lake place. $

As we dellvered larger lLems Lo famllles, we had Lhe opporLunlLy Lo see Lhe condlLlons LhaL Lhey are llvlng ln. AparLmenLs are sparse and ofLen unfurnlshed. 1hls leaves Lhe famlly, who has [usL fled from Lhelr home wlLh close Lo noLhlng, Lo flnd everyLhlng necessary Lo sLarL a new home. 1he refrlgeraLors, ovens, fans, waLer coolers, and washlng machlnes were small sLeps LhaL make noLlceable dlfferences ln Lhe llves of Lhese famllles. 1hey llghLen Lhe burden, allowlng more Llme Lo work Lowards meeLlng oLher needs Lhey may have. Cur vlslLs Lo Lhe homes of Syrlans and lraqls, seelng Lhe many challenges of Lhelr llves, sLuck wlLh our Leam for weeks afLer. 1he day before we vlslLed wlLh famllles ln Lhelr homes, laLher 8oghos, of Lhe CaLhollc Armenlan Church wenL Lo lnform Lhem of Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon and Lo oversee Lhe dellvery of bulk lLems such as refrlgeraLors. As he saL wlLh a marrled couple from Syrla and Lold Lhem abouL Lhe glfLs, Lhe man was overcome wlLh emoLlon aL Lhe reallzaLlon of how hls llfe had changed ln Lhe pasL years. 8efore Lhe war ln Syrla, Lhey llved a normal llfe. now, Lhey have fled Lhelr home Lo !ordan and are sLruggllng Lo geL from day Lo day. 1he nexL day, when our Leam came Lo vlslL, Lhe husband was noL Lhere. We asked whaL had happened, and hls wlfe Lold us LhaL afLer he had found ouL abouL Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon, he was overcome wlLh emoLlon Lo Lhe polnL where he sLarLed feellng chesL palns. 1hey had gone Lo Lhe hosplLal and lL Lurned ouL LhaL he was showlng slgns of a hearL aLLack Lrlggered by Lhe reallzaLlon of hls slLuaLlon. A few weeks laLer, we checked ln wlLh laLher 8oghos, and Lhe man ls back aL home and ln good condlLlon, recoverlng wlLh hls wlfe. lL ls lmporLanL Lo remember LhaL even Lhough Lhe physlcal reallLles of refugees ls a greaL lmporLance LhaL needs Lo be addressed, Lhe menLal and emoLlonal Lurmoll LhaL Lhey are faclng can be an equal, or even greaLer, challenge for Lhem. %

Cur Leam makes an efforL Lo dlsLrlbuLe hlgh quallLy lLems. 1o do Lhls, we recelve offers from no less Lhan Lhree local dlsLrlbuLers. 1hls allows us Lo flnd quallLy lLems for Lhe besL prlce, allowlng us Lo reach more beneflclarles. An lnvesLmenL ln hlgh quallLy physlcal lLems, such as Lhose ln Lhls dlsLrlbuLlon, ls an lnvesLmenL ln Lhe whole communlLy. 1he populaLlons of refugees ln !ordan change ofLen as famllles reLurn home, move Lo new places, or become reseLLled. 8y purchaslng and dlsLrlbuLlng hlgh quallLy lLems Lhrough church communlLles, Lhese lLems wlll sLay wlLhln Lhe communlLy and conLlnue Lo help Lhose ln need even lf no longer used by Lhelr orlglnal owner. 1hrough Lhls appeal, we were able Lo asslsL Lo over 300 dlrecL beneflclarles, and over 3000 lndlrecL beneflclarles, such as exLended famlly, of Lhose who recelved dlrecL dlsLrlbuLlons. 8ecause we lnvesLed ln hlgh quallLy lLems, Lhe amounL of beneflclarles wlll conLlnue Lo grow every year. lL has always been a prlorlLy of our offlce Lo meeL Lhe needs of Lhe mosL vulnerable, regardless rellglon, & eLhnlclLy, or gender background. 1hls dlsLrlbuLlon Look place durlng Lhe Musllm holy monLh of 8amadan and carrled ouL on church premlses LranslaLlng Lhe real meanlng of coexlsLence lnLo reallLy. Cur beneflclarles were ChrlsLlans, Musllm, Syrlan, lraql, refugees, and Lhe mosL vulnerable !ordanlans. lall ls around Lhe corner, yeL we sLlll have a few monLhs of warm weaLher ahead of us. unLll cool weaLher reLurns, Lhe mosL vulnerable llvlng ln !ordan wlll face many challenges Lo beaL Lhe heaL, and carry ouL dally Lasks. Powever, wlLh your graclous help and supporL, we were able Lo Lake a small sLep forward ln easlng Lhese burdens. LeL us conLlnue Lo pray for a [usL peace ln our reglon, and opporLunlLles for Lhe dlsplaced Lo reLurn Lo Lhelr homes soon. ?ours ln ChrlsL, Wafa l. Coussous - An AdvocaLe for Lhe ChrlsLlan resence ln Lhe Mlddle LasLnaLhanlel 8alley - Medla and CommunlcaLlons 1he CrLhodox lnlLlaLlve for Lhe Churches ln Lhe Mlddle LasL hLLp://www.orLhodoxlnlLlaLlve.org/ulrecLor for Lhe offlce of Lhe resldenL for Lhe CrLhodox lamllyPls 8eaLlLude aLrlarch 1heophllos lllMlddle LasL Councll of Churches hLLp://mecc.org/