Jordan
Every child who comes to the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) center in Jordan brings their own unique gifts, personality, and life to our work. As much as we want to grow their potential in areas where they experience challenges, we also want to encourage their potential in the areas where they express joy and talent.
Imani first came to our center in 2018 as a young teenage girl with a hearing disability, with the goal of improving her speech. However, we soon discovered that she had a natural talent and love for art. Her notebook was filled with pencil sketches and coloured drawings. One of the Operation Mercy staff members also shares a love of art, and so from the beginning it was decided that they would have one session every couple of weeks to develop Imani’s skills in both drawing and painting. Over the months, Imani learned and practised mixing colours, as well as how to paint skies and other scenes from nature—often the two of them sitting side by side, painting together at the center.
Now, several years later, Imani is a student at the University of Jordan, studying art. Recently, she reached out to us, asking if there was something she could do at the center while on a break between semesters. In fact, we had yet to finish the murals on the outer walls of the center facing the village street. And so, once again, Imani and the CBR team member mixed colours together and painted. This time, though, they painted words—sharing colour and hopeful messages with the community.
For all of us, it was encouraging to see this quiet teen now turned into a confident and talkative university student. It was a reminder that as we walk through small steps of growth with our students, these small steps can lead to a more hopeful future for them.
Surgery For Sarah
The kidney surgery was life saving for Sarah! She is now an active and smiley 1 year old, adored by her older siblings.
Schooling Requires Cooperation
Adnan loves school. His mother smiles with pride and says to the Operation Mercy team, “Every day he wants to go to school.” Naturally gifted with a friendly and bold personality,
Innovation and creativity are key!
Innovation and creative marketing are a key (and necessary) component of young farmers in Jordan
Professional and Interpersonal Development
“The people here stood with me,” says Om Waleed*, recounting her young daughter’s need for surgery. “Even though my family is all the way in Syria,
From Desert Diesel Tank to Fertile Market Garden
10 years into the Syrian conflict, people remain resilient for their children’s sake, and they still hope to go home even if they can’t imagine how that will work out.
Investing in the Future
There are new sounds coming from the centre these days.
Shoulder to Shoulder
“Before,” shares Hamza, “my relationships were limited. Now, in the project, my relationships grow and grow.”
A Reason to Stay
Miriam came to our refugee medical clinic with a list of physical complaints—but as she sat down, it all came out at once.
“My children won’t eat.
An Exercise Programme For Women
At the end of 2024, we ran a six week exercise program for Jordanian and Syrian women in Zarqa. The women who attended hadn’t had any connection with Operation Mercy in the past.
Each Child is Valuable
“I’ve learnt from you that each child is created by God and valuable, and I want to do my best to love and raise her like you would” she said
Incorporating Technology with Traditional Farming Practices
A new generation of younger farmers, having access to the internet, are considering how to incorporate technology with traditional farming practices.
Joy Through Playing
After the earthquake in Morocco destroyed homes and buildings throughout the High Atlas Mountains and other regions, our partners assisted with relief efforts and then with rebuilding –
Walking Through Challenges Together
“Everyone has faced different challenges in their lives,” Hamza says. “If one of us cannot walk through one of these challenges, a [fellow] participant can help him overcome this challenge.
Saiid’s Smile
Saiid was beaming, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. Not only was his house finished to the point that he and his family could start living in it,
Farming in the Jordan Valley
The biggest challenges facing agriculture today are climate change, soil degradation or excessive salinity in the soil, water scarcity, pests and diseases, and the need to ensure food security for a growing population.
Visits to Farms
Our Agricultural Cooperation for Development (AC4D) project in Jordan is working within communities to support farmers with immediately adoptable and cost-effective technologies to aid in to management of the most pressing issues in smallholder agriculture in the Middle East.
Refugee Health Response
In our Community Health Project in Jordan, we are seeing lives transformed through health screening and education. We work in partnership with local organizations, medical professionals,
New Horizons
The view of the horizon from the CBR window is changing. As new life sprouts up and lurches forward around the CBR Center and throughout the villages,
Change Impacts Relationships and Community
This man speaks of the dynamic relational and inner life that develops when participants move through Keystone’s 3-to-6-month training.
An Event for Mothers
“This is for me?” One of the ladies asked, looking at the beautiful hand-held mirror she just decorated. Her question is perhaps not surprising. For these village women,