Since August 2014 thousands of Iraqis headed to Jordan, as a result of the spread of so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, which put at risk the persons belonging to minority religious groups.

Since the beginning of this emergency, in 2014, Caritas Jordan (CJ) with the support of the local government and in collaboration with the Catholic church and other organizations in the area, has been able to provide support for feeding, housing, health, informal education, legal protection, etc…to approximately 3,500 families (nearly 12,000 people) of Iraqi refugees. In addition to the emergency relief, Caritas has taken care of them for several years implementing training projects.

Recently Caritas Jordan has been gifted of a land with 640 olive trees, two greenhouses and a well for irrigation, next to a building with large spaces available. The training activities will now focus on this site, previously carried out in the cities of Amman, Zarqa, Balqa and Madaba.
On the land some containers have been installed destined for various micro-projects, including the processing of the olives, both for food and cosmetic use. On the long run vines will also be grown and, in the greenhouses, there will be a cultivation of medicinal herbs, and we are working on transforming the agriculture in organic.
In addition, a carpentry activity has been started for the production of outdoor furniture made from old pallets: the beginning is promising and is expected to be a good income generating activity. Over time and with an appropriate initial investment, the various micro-projects should be consolidated and will give stable job to a hundred people.

Information

AMU (Azione per un mondo unito)

Caritas Jordan