Iraqi refugees in Jordan- part two

When you hear the words "Humanitarian assistance", what kind of activities do you imagine?


Providing food and water? Yes.
Building shelters together? Yes.
Those are some of the major activities that are involved in humanization assistance.


How about "producing short videos" and "drama presentation"?


One Japanese NGO produced short videos in Jordan that were about promoting understanding and friendships among Jordanian and Iraqi children. In the activity, groups consisting of both Jordanian and Iraqi children tried to make a short film about what Iraqi children experienced in their home of origin. NGO staffers taught children how to use the video cameras, but the children wrote stories based on their experiences, became actors and actresses, and shot films by themselves.


The best part of this activity for me is not products of the activity, but the processes those children went through. To make the film, they needed to work as a group, and tried to understand what was happening to many children like them in Iraq. One of the Iraqi children shared his experience of one of his friends being shot dead while standing beside him. The other child shared a tragic story of his family, and the group made a film about it, but they realize later on that they could not show the film in public. Why?
Those children became very frustrated. However, they soon recognized that showing the film in public could risk their friends' safety both in Jordan and Iraq. Those processes and events helped some Jordanian children to imagine the situation that Iraqi refugees were in, and some Iraqi children could ease their feelings of loss by sharing them with others.


Another Japanese NGO did a drama presentation with Iraqi children in Jordan. One of unique aspects of the activity is the type of people it showcases. In drama presentations, parents of Jordanian and Iraqi children see the presentation of their children who enjoy acting. They will be surprised to see how their children can act with confidence and tell stories by their acting. Those parents could start talking each other and regaining their power to live their lives once again after having tragic experiences in their places of origin.


One senior staffer of an international NGO once told me that children are "windows" of their families. By assisting refugee children, we could get the chance to learn what their families hold deep in their hearts, and we could see what we can do together with them to look forward.




▼▽▼▼椎名さんの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【High motivation is a key of success?!】2008.10.20 (Mon)
・【Iraqi refugees in Jordan- part one】2008.11.17 (Mon)

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