Since 2014, the height of the ISIS rampage across Iraq and Syria, villages have crumbled. Countless communities have been hollowed out, as families fled to escape the violence. These families need support. “The Hope”, a support, prayer, and English language conversation practice group, was founded at the Olive Tree Center by four remarkable Iraqi women: Riveen, Raneen, Fada, and Karmen. Members of the group range from 16-year- old to 32-years-old. It is a place to encourage, support, listen, and pray during these challenging times. While the Olive Tree Center was physically closed due to COVID-19, members of The Hope still found other safe, social distancing ways to support each other. Faced with adapting to “a new normal,” which often means severely limited and reduced freedoms, individuals who struggle with fear, anxiety, panic, claustrophobia, and depression have had these conditions surface. Mental health struggles and the need for extra support as the future remains so unknown are vast, and the need […]
Refugee sisters Reem and Nadia (names are changed to protect them) have undergone difficult trials but their faith still remains. First, their father disappeared one night in Iraq. He was never found and presumed killed. Later in 2014, ISIS invaded and Reem, Nadia, and their mother were forced to flee to Erbil. There they camped out in the garden of a church for three months until they were able to move to a one room housing unit. This housing area […]
When ISIS invaded the Nineveh Plain, life became very difficult for many of the refugees American FRRME supports. However, due to Iraq’s war-torn history, the Baltoo family (names have been changed to protect the family’s identity) experienced hardship long before this. Sander, the father of the family of seven, had moved his growing family from Qaraqosh to Baghdad in hopes of finding work to support them. There, Sander was targeted by Al Qaeda because his brother worked for the U.S. […]
American FRRME- COVID-19 Relief Strategy Update: American FRRME has continued to implement all government-imposed criteria necessary to safely reopen The Olive Tree Center. This includes hand sanitizer being mounted on walls, regular cleaning, mask-wearing, regulation of class and center attendance, and social distancing implemented in all classes. Olive Tree Center COVID-19 Update: Due to the increased number of COVID-19 cases in Jordan, lockdowns and Internet restrictions have continued. Complete lockdown started on Tuesday, November 10th, and will remain in place […]
American Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East invites you to join us on Facebook Live to pay our respects to our former Executive Director, Brigadier General David E. Greer. General Greer passed away on July 30th, 2020 in Santa Cruz, California. He was 69 years old. A native of Memphis, David graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery Corps. He served on active duty and in […]
American FRRME- COVID-19 Relief Strategy Update: American FRRME has continued to implement all government-imposed criteria necessary to safely reopen […]
Three years ago American Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East started funding the Harsham Soccer […]
The past few months have been filled with debate over the reopening of schools and universities. Many schools […]
Updates From Helena Scott at The Olive Tree Center Summer 2020 Online support & learning/development platforms American FRRME […]
