Region 9 is holding its 2014 regional meeting in December (contact for details) in Amman, Jordan in conjunction with a regional project to assist refugees in Jordan. Attendees will be invited to collect and transport, through club or personal initiatives, donations of clothing, shoes, small toys, abayas and small household items to be given to various groups assisting refugees. Such items cannot be shipped into Jordan due to stringent customs regulations, but can be transported in suitcases.
The Human Rights Team has also identified a group volunteer project that will be offered over the few days immediately before or after the Region 9 Meeting for those who wish to participate. The project will involve painting, cleaning, organizing and generally “sprucing up” the community center operated by the Collateral Repair Project (CRP), a small grassroots non-profit that was started by two American women to support refugees. Visit http://www.collateralrepairproject.org/ for information on CRP. In conjunction with this initiative, participating clubs are invited to collect new art supplies, such as crayons, washable markers and construction paper for the Center. Financial donations will be used to fund the rent for a year for CRP’s expansion into desperately needed additional space and to purchase supplies to complete the project. Volunteers will be asked to donate at least $500 to CRP, through a personal donation, fundraising or sponsorship (a practice common for this type of volunteer activity.)
The Region 9 Meeting will also include awareness-raising regarding the refugee crisis. Watch for more details to come.
To learn more about refugees in Jordan, check out Therese Hartwell's blog. Therese, the Team's Peace and Conflict Committee Chair, is leading efforts in Region 9 and throughout the FAWCO community to support refugees driven from their homes by conflict.
If your club is not in Region 9, you can still contribute, by collecting needlework and craft supplies for handicraft projects that will support refugee women's economic empowerment. Find out more about what to collect here.