Najlaa Al-Nashi, Direct Aid Initiative, Dec 28, 2007
Al-Fuhays is a town 50 km west of Amman. It's population is about 20,000, most of whom are Christian. The nature of this town is similar to the North of Iraq, where there are mountains, small villages, and a simple way of living. Living expenses are cheaper than Amman. For these reasons and others, many Iraqi Christian families, many of whom come from this region of Iraq, choose to live in this town. There are about 70 Iraqi Christian families, and only about 20 Iraqi Muslim families living in Al-Fuhays at this time.
There, Jordanian Christians are helping many of the Iraqis, due partly to shared religion (though Muslim Iraqis are also receiving help). Up to this time, relations between the Iraqi and Jordanian families have been good, as long as the Iraqis pay their rent. Until now, Al-Fuhays seems to be without the problems that have occurred in other areas of Jordan between Iraqis and Jordanians.
But Iraqis, because of their situation as asylum seekers, and according to Jordanian law, don't have the right to work so they face many of the same difficulties faced by all Iraqis in Jordan.
One of these problems is with medical care. There's no medical center or clinic that can support them in Al-Fuhays. Unlike Iraqis in Amman, for example, where CARITAS and other organizations provide some medical care, in Al-Fuhays there are only private clinics, and medicine is expensive too. So, many families have multiple health problems but they just sit at home until they either recover or the problem becomes a life-threatening crisis.
In the case of patients with chronic disease, they need follow up (for example, to estimate their blood sugar or blood pressure), and for them the cost is far too much to cover.
How can we help to solve even part of this, since the Direct Aid Initiative is focused on providing medical care directly through clinics?
We are planning to open a temporary clinic in a church in Al-Fuhays where we will provide basic medicines and access to a doctor. Patients will pay something small and manageable for the doctor's time only. The goal is for a doctor to be available twice a month.
Another non-governmental relief organization, Children Without Borders, will cover the transportation fees for the doctor.
Medicine will be given for free whenever possible, according to the donations we can secure. A generous friend of the Direct Aid Initiative recently came to Jordan with a supply of needed medicine, and more has been provided by other colleagues and contacts in Jordan.
Our plan is to begin this initial effort in January and test its usefulness for three months, to see if it is helpful. The effort will be managed by DAI Amman staff.
In order to support Iraqi patients with chronic diseases -- Our budget for medical care is now very limited, but we will help initially in the following way: DAI Amman staff will buy two blood pressure devices and two blood sugar devices. We will then train a few young educated Iraqi people in the community in how to use them for simple diagnostics for other members of the community for free each month. Once these people have been trained, DAI Amman staff will work with our partner organizations to secure free monthly access to the medicine that these chronic cases need.
An announcement will be made that Muslim community members are equally invited to receive care at the temporary clinic, with no discrimination or other religious activity involved. Tests for blood pressure and blood sugar will be provided each Friday before communal prayers in order to be convenient and welcoming to Muslim families in need of care.
The church will be used because it is a kind of community center that will avoid having to bring many people into one family's home. Of course, Jordanian community members will also be able to visit the clinic for help if they choose.
As you can see, the Iraqis in Al Fuhays face a very hard time and in this situation a case-by-case approach is not sufficient or appropriate. We believe we can be much more effective by helping the community to help itself than by trying to treat people one at a time. It is the goal of the Direct Aid Initiative to help people help each other by working in different ways and at different levels, as needed in each situation.
Please consider supporting the Direct Aid Initiative through your generous donations as we implement this small project and continue with our ongoing work providing medical care to Iraqis with extreme unmet medical needs.
To make a secure online donation to the Direct Aid Initiative's work providing medical care to Iraqis displaced by war and chaos, click here.
