Help build a family resource center for Iraqi refugees

We all know the sense of belonging and safety that comes from being a part of a community-how it nurtures our identity and fosters our aspirations. Few of us have experienced anything beyond a brief and partial separation from our community of friends, relatives, home and chosen paths-the elements that give meaning, purpose and direction to our lives.

For Iraqis in exile, who have already lost or left behind all material possessions, the loss of place and connection compounds their losses, leaving them to endure life in isolation, disconnection and hopelessness. Living shadowed lives in exile, they have little resource for safely connecting with others or for sharing or celebrating the important events in their lives with their extended family and former neighbors from whom they are now separated.

The Collateral Repair Project (www.collateralrepairproject.org), which has been working to support Iraqi refugees by raising funds for small, home-based micro-projects to help them get back on their feet, is now planning to open a Family Resource & Community Center for Iraqis now exiled in Amman, Jordan.

The Family Resource & Community Center will offer the following services: relief distribution, English language classes, computer skills training, a lending library for all ages, a gallery and workspace for artists and hand-crafters, supervised play groups and structured events for children, counseling to improve coping skills and treat PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), social activities in a welcoming environment, and much, much more.

This center will be a place where Iraqi, Jordanian and Palestinian neighbors can all come together to access services and also to share one another's celebrations and sorrows. The center will provide them with the opportunity to get to know one another and enhance the bonds of a supportive broader community in a safe and nurturing environment.

Please visit our web site to find out more about this project and to donate. Truly, a small donation of just $10 will help make this happen!

www.collateralrepairproject.org/Amman_Center_info.html

You can also read our blog from Amman HERE: www.collateralrepairproject.blogspot.com