Though the weather in Amman remains hot and sunny, summer at CRP is coming to a close. This month, we said goodbye to Tim Loh, our former Programming and Administrative Manager, and welcomed in Lilly Crown. Tim and Lilly both came to CRP through the MENAR fellowship program, which partners recent graduates of American colleges with nonprofits and businesses in the Middle East. Though we already miss Tim, we’re excited to have Lilly join us.
Our summer camp is almost at the end of its August session. An international group of volunteers have been leading programs for over 100 kids throughout the course of this month and last, providing them with opportunities to learn, play, and practice interpersonal skills such as working in groups and sharing. Many of the kids who come to CRP are not in school and so providing them with structured educational activities is a priority for us.
Karam, CRP’s new education specialist, helped the camp grow and develop. Under her lead, we incorporated weekly educational themes, field trips, and arts and crafts projects. The children participated in activities aimed at teaching them about hygiene, parts of the body, geography, English, and more.
Thanks to your donations as well as grants from The Rotary Club, FAWCO, and others, we are able to provide back-to-school support for 1,000 kids! Through this support, we are covering their school registration fees and providing backpacks, school supplies, and uniforms. As a result, many of the children from the summer camp will be able to continue developing the skills they learned this summer in a formal educational setting.
Your donations and grants have also helped us refurbish our computer lab with new equipment, which has also allowed us to restart our computer lessons with better functioning equipment. Many refugees do not have access to computers at home, and some have never used computers before. Our classes help students become comfortable using computers, which they can use to communicate with family members, stay up-to-date on the news, practice English, and work on school assignments.
On World Refugee Day (June 20th), we raised roughly $10,000 for our Hope Workshop. Thank you to everyone who donated! With the support of the Advocacy Project, Hope Workshop has partnered with Tiraz, a museum and research center dedicated to Arab dress. Experts from Tiraz have been training a small group of Hope Workshop members in traditional embroidery techniques, which the women will in turn be able to share with other members of Hope Workshop. Participants of Hope Workshop are excited that this new opportunity will connect with their heritage and to continue producing beautiful handicrafts.
This is only a sample of the activities that have been running at CRP during the summer. Our programs are able to run because of your support—thank you for making our summer a success! We hope the fall will be even better.
To support our programming, donate here!
