Hi Everyone,
We’ve cut together a short highlight video from the trip, please take a look and feel free to pass it along. A longer version will be posted later this week. And of course the video on the crisis is still to come, look for that in the spring.
All the best,
IVAP Team
The IVAP team journeyed from Damascus, Syria, south to the ancient city of Bosra. The team was accompanied by a group of young adults from the Iraqi Student Project.
IPS is a grass roots effort to help young Iraqi’s acquire an education in US colleges and universities. Amid the ancient ruins, we spoke with several students about their hopes and dreams.
Dancer and choreographer Paul Emerson is also a talented illustrator. During his visit with Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, Emerson captured the camera shy faces of the people he met with pen and ink.
The greatest fear for many Iraqi refugees is receiving news that a loved one has been kidnapped back home in Iraq.
Mercy Corps is a non governmental organization (NGO) that works with Iraqi refugees in Jordan. The Iraqi Voices Amplification Project team met with the staff of Mercy Corp at their headquarters in Amman.
Caritas Jordan is a Catholic organization that provides a variety of services including basic health care to Iraqi refugees. We spent the morning with Caritas interviewing staff and the people they serve. Iraqi refugees often spend their savings escaping from Iraq. By the time families get to Jordan, their resources are spent.
Centre for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture, “Restart” offers specialized services for victims of torture and their families in Beirut, Lebanon. The IVAP team visited with four Iraqi torture victims and listened to their stories of pain and grace.
Part of what happens when you bring a group of artists to speak to refugees (or really to speak to anyone), is that the subject of art comes up. When people hear that we are artists, they tend to start telling us about the art that they know and love. There stories begin to be told on the level of music and dance, picture and sound. Last Wednesday was no exception.
The IVAP team followed a Caritas social worker on a home visit with an Iraqi refugee family living in Saida. Caritas Lebanon is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a worldwide confederation which figures among the worlds largest humanitarian networks.
The IVAP team met with Stéphane Jaquemet, United Nations Regional Representative in Beirut to talk about issues relating to the resettlement of Iraqi refugees.
Alissa Everett
Ami Gaston
C. Eduardo Vargas
Kathryn Pilkington
Kimberly Schultz
Kathryn Schulz
Megan Hoelle
Michael Jordan
Paul Emerson
Timothy Frakes
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