As one of the four Jordanian members of the Community Support Committee (CSC) at Nuzha community center in East Amman, Linda emphasizes the importance of providing support to both refugees and Jordanians.
“I have nine children. We have a small apartment. Jordanians can be equally as vulnerable as refugees.”
It is for this reason that Nuzha caters to all nationalities who live in its vicinity in East Amman. For Linda, she first got to know about the center after a friend recommended her to join one of the life skills courses, but after loving the environment and feeling she got being a part of the course, she quickly became involved in the organization of the activities that the center runs. “I felt like I had lots to offer, knowledge about what would be useful for those who had recently arrived in Jordan as well as the local community.”
After two years of being a part of the CSC, Linda never imagined that the center would grow to the scale it has. “We started with only a hundred participants in the courses, now thousands pass through the center every week.”
From Syrians to Sudanese, Linda says she now has friends from a wide range of nationalities. “Births, deaths, marriages and illnesses, we all celebrate and mourn together. Because I grew up in this area, I am sometimes the first person they call when help is needed. They know who I am when I walk down the street.”
On a personal level, Linda wants to increase the support that is given to the elderly, to conduct more home visits to try and encourage the most vulnerable to approach Nuzha.
“This year is a new decade. I feel that the opinions of Jordanians have been incredibility supportive of refugees but there is much more we can do to ensure that everyone feels safe.”
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