AMMAN — At a hospital in the hills of Amman, some patients have only one leg, others have no arms and most have been burned and scarred by exploding bombs. All have suffered complex injuries that require several operations, physiotherapy and psychosocial care.
The Amman surgical program, run by Médecins Sans Frontières, was originally set up in 2006 to treat casualties of the Iraq war. Médecins Sans Frontières renovated a floor of a hospital belonging to the Red Crescent in Jordan to house the program, which today has expanded to become a vital refuge for victims of the many wars raging in the region.
A list of speaking engagements through out the year will be featured here. You can learn more about upcoming events if you visit the 'Latest Events' page.
* University of Jordan. Guest speaker at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study abroad program in Jordan. July 2012.
*Mapping Digital Media Advocacy Summit in Istanbul. Presentation on Digital Media and Activism in Jordan. July 2012.
*International Center for Journalists and Jordan Media Institute "building a digital gateway for better lives". Co-Media Trainer. June 2012.
*The Institute of International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Institution, dvv international panel discussion on the role of media in promoting adult education in Jordan. Panelist. May 2012.
*Leveraging Spectrum for Democracy: Securing the gains from the Arab Spring Conference at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. New York. Presentation on spectrum policy in Jordan. May 2012.
*Political elections and reform in Jordan. RTV Amman FM (Arabic Channel) 99.0. Guest Speaker on 'Jadal' program. April 2012.
*Media, business and societies: a platform for change. Aspen Institute, Italy. Speaker, "Role of Media in Mideast". April 2012.
*Jordan Media Institute workshop. "Getting to the Story". Guest lecturer. December 2011.
* Digital and Media Literacy: New Directions” organized by the Arab-US Association of Communication Educators (AUSACE) at the American University in Beirut. Presentation on Digital Activism in Jordan. October 2011.
RAMTHA, JORDAN — Four Syrian women sat in a circle in a small apartment during the weekend, reminiscing about green fields and the homes they left behind months ago as their neighborhoods descended into violence and basic food supplies dried up.
The women took turns, too, narrating the last conversations they had with their husbands before the men left this impoverished Jordanian town and crossed back into the border city of Dera’a, a flash point early in the Syrian rebellion.
“My husband said it was his duty to go back and fight against the Syrian regime because the situation has become intolerable,” said Fatima, 28, as her three children and their cousins ran barefoot in and out of their dark, cramped living room. She asked that her family name not be used because of security concerns.
“I cried a lot when he left us but I always had a feeling my husband would return to join the battle,” she said. “There are others who also are returning.”
Her brother-in-law had returned to Syria recently, she said, leaving his wife and children behind.
Region-wide, of more than 60,000 Syrian refugees registered by United Nations relief workers, 74 percent are women and children.
The Jordan Health Aid Society, a non-governmental organization, said that of the 12,873 home visits it has made to Syrian refugees since January, nearly 500 households consisted of just women with their children.
While increasing numbers of Syrians, especially from cities like Homs and Dera’a, are fleeing into Jordan, young men are returning at a steady flow to Syria, some to fight against the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.
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