The 2 million mark

Today I had a meeting with the Jordan Country Director for Mercy Corps. I don't know what I'll be doing yet exactly, but I'll find out more next week. The director is doing his best to figure out how best I can help depending on what they need and my skills. Mercy Corps is an International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) that works all over the world to help vulnerable populations in gaining back their basic human rights and needs. One of the areas of work they focus on is emergency response and currently in Jordan the INGOs main projects are water and the Syrian refugees.

Critical challenges face the Arab kingdom, which is the fourth water-poorest country in the world. Already scarce and expensive water and energy are now even more strained by the recent influx of Syrian refugees fleeing across the border to host community and camps in Jordan.

Just a few days ago the number of registered Syrian refugees officially reached 2 million. Of those 2 million, over 1 million of the refugees are under 18 years old and legally considered children. There is also an estimated 4.25 million Syrians that are considered Internally Displaced Person's (IDPs) and more than 100,000 have been killed since the start in march 2011. Keep in mind these are the registered numbers...not the actual numbers...those are much higher.

Jordan is host to the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Northern Jordan, which has officially been ranked as the second largest refugee camp in the world (The first being Dadaab Refugee Camp in kenya for Somali refugees) and has become Jordan's 4th largest city in the country. Jordan has two main refugees camps for Syrians and is in the process of constructing a 3rd to help Syrians find safety. It is significantly draining Jordan's already limited economy and especially small water supply, which is causing tension between people and fear among everyone for their own future.

I was watching CNN at home the other day and I was in shock when they stated that every 15 seconds, a Syrian becomes a refugee. Just horrific. There are so many Syrians all over the country. There are approximately 520,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan now that are registered but more than 600,000 are actually in the country. The UN estimates that Jordan will host more than 1.25 million Syrian refugees by the end of 2013. I don't know exactly what the right thing to do is or if the US should intervene or whatever...but it clear that something must be done. Something substantial and meaningful. To know these facts, to see Syrians around Amman, and to not be able to even slightly understand what they have been through and experienced, is heartbreaking.

For now what I can do is work for organizations like Mercy Corps and do everything I can to help in the projects they work on such has creating playgrounds with professional counsellors on sight to help the children cope, aid in the water crisis, help edit proposals for new projects, etc. However big or small...something has to be done.

I experience a new 15 seconds constantly and don't fear that my basic rights, home, luxuries, blankets, friends, family or anything that means anything to me will be taken from me. For whatever reason, I get to live that life...so I'm hoping that through an internship with Mercy Corps I can help others get closer to living that life too.


Mercy Corps Jordan Website:
http://www.mercycorps.org/jordan

Aljazeera: Syria Civil War information:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotlight/syria/