In solidarity with persecuted Christians

Thanks to Act for Peace supporters, and the generosity of local doctors, refugees from Iraq are receiving essential medical care and much needed comfort in Jordan. It’s a Saturday, and Dr Haytham Aljbour, a paediatrician at the University Hospital in Amman, could be at home relaxing. Instead, he’s busy treating a clinic full of children who are attending a free medical day organised by Act for Peace’s local partner in Jordan. The temporary clinic, hosted in a church on the outskirts of Amman, is crowded with refugees from Iraq - all Christians persecuted for their faith - now seeking safety in Jordan and in need of medical help.  

Dr Aljbour tells us he’s seeing ten patients an hour, many with acute or chronic health problems. In total, he and his clinical colleagues will help over 800 people to get the care they need today. Thanks to supporters like you, the free medical days provide refugees with access to essential health care services including paediatrics, optometry and general medicine. Dr Aljbour is proud to be volunteering his time to help. “I see it as a humanitarian action. These people are suffering all the time. They are transferred from place to place, and they don’t have easy access to medical services, so I came to them!” he says.

Often, children are unable to attend local schools in the countries they’ve fled to, perhaps due to language barriers or because they are moving from place to place. Supporters like you have enabled teachers to visit children in refugee camps helping them continue their studies and return to a feeling of routine and normality. This support has also enabled trained psychologists to work with both children and parents as they deal with the trauma they have been through. By talking about their feelings of fear and grief, or the terrible events they have witnessed, refugees are supported to move on to new lives. “I think everyone should think for a moment - what if you suddenly lost everything? Your house, your parents, your kids, your financial means?” says Dr Aljbour. “If you can’t feel safe, you are not really living. We are all humans and we must help each other.”