Irbid

I thought the day was over and I failed my team. I spent the whole afternoon getting updates on the dialysis situation of the Syrian refugees and negotiating to decrease the fees for each dialysis session with a private hospital administrators and doctors. I felt guilty because I should have been helping my team seeing patients in the Jordanian Women Union clinic. Then came Kamal as we were helping the dental team packing in the van. He stopped by to thank us for coming. 

Kamal, who did not want me to take a picture or video of him, proceeded to say with tears in his eyes "You guys come here every few weeks and help us with medications, diapers, formula and some money but this is not what we want. We want moral support from you overseas. We want you to go to the White House and tell them to stop the blood shedding. Tell the world the conditions we are living in. They are treating us like trash. I came here not because I am with the Free Syrian Army or the Regular army. I came here for the fear for my children not to get killed or raped. Please let them know that this needs to stop!" 

This is it. Our mission, and our efforts are a dot in a big wall painting that Kamal drew in my mind so emotionally. Our efforts are not fruitless. We touch these peoples hearts and they touch ours. A hug and tears from me was all that satisfied Kamal today. But who will touch the heart of the three hundred fifty thousand Syrian refugees in Irbid? Who will unwind all this endless misery and suffering? Who will bring back Syria?

From the three-year old frowning kid who was shot in his leg while his dad who was holding him got shot in the abdomen to the old man who brought me the paper documenting to me the death of his son under torture in branch number 225 of the Syrian intelligence apparatus, Syrians refugees are living a big nightmare in Jordan. They are treated as 10th class non-citizens, taking advantage of and pushed around. 

Jordanian laws after laws keeping coming out to make their life more miserable. Jordanian law does not allow any non-Jordanian non-profit from helping them without partnering with a Jordanian counter parts. There are under the seen fights between Jordanian non-profit organizations to exploit them. There are no public health services that can help identify the root causes of some of their communicable illnesses and prevent them. There are no statistics to identify their accurate numbers and the prevalence of their illnesses. I think Kamal hit the nail on the head today. What is needed is to end this suffering by ending the conflict and start bringing all of these forsakens back to their home land.