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Summary: Terre des hommes (Tdh) has been working in Jordan for many years, and is now helping the Syrian children and their families in the host communities in the north of the country. In partnership with the UNICEF, Tdh also provides psychosocial and protection activities in the refugee camp Emirates Jordan Camp (EJC), situated near the town of Zarqa.
According to the UNICEF, more than three million Syrian children are affected by the armed conflict – so many children with an unsettled future. Civilians are the first victims of the violence that has been ongoing for the past two years and has already cost the lives of some 93,000 people and caused the displacement of over 4,250,000 people from Syria. A neighbouring country to Syria, Jordan has kept its doors open to families fleeing the fighting and the bombing in which they have often lost everything they had, including members of their families. The total number of Syrians already or in the process of being registered in Jordan is over 500,000, according to the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Of these, more than half are children. Terre des hommes-Lausanne (Tdh) has been working in Jordan for many years, and is now helping the Syrian children and their families in the host communities in the north of the country. In partnership with the UNICEF, Tdh also provides psychosocial and protection activities in the refugee camp Emirates Jordan Camp (EJC), situated near the town of Zarqa. Children who have witnessed atrocities: Ahmed, 41, saw his garment manufacture workshop in Dar’a destroyed by a rocket and was forced to escape from Syria with his wife and their four daughters. Yasser, 48, left his job as an estate agent behind him – there was not enough income for him to meet the needs of his family. Safwan, 40, had to quit his little restaurant in Homs to find refuge in Jordan with his wife and their four children. Among the Syrian refugees there are thousands of children who have been the victims of or witnessed some of the worst scenes of the conflict. Safwan’s son Ziyad, only 12, was injured by bomb splinters during an air raid. For a month, he and his family hid and crawled to escape snipers. The lad still suffers from the after-effects of his wounds and from the traumatic experiences of the war and exile. Enas Sleem is a facilitator in the EJC refugee camp, where Tdh’s ’Children’s Friends’ Centre’ can be found. She recalls the arrival of a little girl who had witnessed the death of her parents: “The child stayed apart from the others and could hardly stop crying”. “The refugee children are nervous, anxious and often frightened when they get to the camp”, says one of the other Tdh counsellors. On the road to resilience: Frequently, the refugee youngsters have not had a chance to go to school for months in Syria. On top of everything else they have lost the social framework essential to their development. So as to reintroduce a kind of normality into their life, Tdh has set up psychosocial activities in the EJC camp, in collaboration with the Red Crescent of the United Arab Emirates (UAE RC) and the Jordanian government. Over 800 youngsters are registered with Tdh for psychosocial activities, and the counsellors welcome 300 children every day in the ‘Children’s Friends’ Centre. The kids get together, join in the structured recreational activities and, bit by bit, can put their feelings and anxieties into words. The aim strived at is to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of these children by giving them a framework which enables them to comprehend what they have gone through, to get their self-confidence back, to trust others, and to be able to envisage their future. The psychosocial activities run by Tdh are beneficial for the youngsters. Some of them can find their equanimity again and sleep better, others learn to trust again. Enas Sleem tells us that the little girl she spoke about earlier now takes an active part in the sessions. With contact to the Tdh counsellors, Ziyad, as well, has started to smile again. “It will take time, but he will manage to get back to normal”, says activity supervisor Hassan Khawaldeh. Tdh is also working in groups with the parents and the refugee community to address the need their children have of being protected, and for them to participate in the strengthening of the youngsters’ resilience. Tdh wants to thank photo reporter Blaise Kormann for his collaboration in the touching stories he brought us. Like the families who were willing to tell us their stories, there are thousands of other victims of the war living in unacceptable conditions. International efforts in their favour must be continued and strengthened.