To help others is significant, and important for Collateral Repair Project. To help urban refugees and needy Jordanians to heal, grow and rebuild their lives is our philosophy as an organization. Five years ago, Lamia, fled from the civil war in Syria with her husband and two sons. When she was living in Syria, she worked as a teacher and she loved it. After spending three years in Amman, she became a volunteer with CRP’s summer camp.
Lamia came to CRP as a volunteer at the summer camp. She brought her kids to attend it, and they really enjoyed it. After that experience, her two sons asked Lamia if she could volunteer more for CRP.
After Lamia decided to become a volunteer, it changed her life completely. Now, she is here three times a week as a volunteer for ICDL computer class, and she gets a lot of joy knowing that she is helping others through that. Lamia says, “As a human being when you do something good for someone else, you always feel good about yourself. Then I decided to come here, and now I feel a lot of joy whenever I’m here at CRP because I know that I’m helping others in need.” She explains, however, that as a human being that has experienced war, it is fundamental for her to help others.
When the war broke out, she fled to Amman, and she struggled with finding work. In the beginning, it was hard for her to adapt to her new life in a new city, but then she found the volunteer program at CRP. From her experiences with war and the trauma it brings, Lamia knew how hard adapting can be so she wanted to help others get back on their feet again. By being a volunteer, she is able to help others who have been in the same situation as her, which is important for Lamia.
She explains that when she is attending the coding classes, she feels like she is at home. Since Lamia has a lot of experience with teaching, she is happy to know that her skill is useful and that she can share her knowledge with others.
The last six months for Lamia as a volunteer has brought purpose into her life, and she loves to be able to make new friends and learn about new cultures, but the most important thing for her is to help others. In Lamia’s own words, “If we didn’t help each other, I wouldn’t feel that I’ve done what a human being is supposed to do. Everyone needs some help sometimes during their lives. Regardless of age, young or old, everyone needs help.”