Working closely with partners on the ground, American FRRME provides life-saving humanitarian assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees who have fled persecution and genocide, focusing on Iraq and Jordan, where the Foundation is a registered charity.
American FRRME funds a medical and dental clinic in Baghdad, Iraq. Located on the grounds of St. George’s Church, the clinic sees approximately 100 patients daily, providing free health care to people of all faiths. We also provide health care on a case-by-case basis among IDP and refugee populations in Iraqi Kurdistan and in Jordan.
In 2015, American FRRME initiated an afternoon school for Christian refugees in the suburbs of Amman, Jordan, which has gone on to be recognized as a model school in the region. Since then, we have underwritten tuition for refugees attending private schools, provided books and other materials to schools in settlement camps, funded construction and provisioning of an all-girls school in a settlement camp, funded a Kindergarten in Kurdistan and underwritten expenses for Internally Displaced Persons attending university in Kurdistan. We also provide free English classes for both children and adult refugees in multiple locations in Jordan.
Nineveh SEED (Sustainable Enterprise Economic Development) is a unique initiative designed to help Iraqi Christians get back on their feet. It will include a range of programs to revitalize the local economy and create jobs in the Nineveh Plain. Working with local church and community leaders in the region, the Foundation is focusing on projects such as deep-water wells and linked irrigation systems, greenhouses and other agricultural assistance; small-business grants; construction assistance, tourism initiatives and more. Nineveh SEED is envisioned as a long-term investment and will necessitate the support of the international community and major donors.
In October 2019, after extensive planning, we were excited to open the first Olive Tree Center in Madaba, Jordan. The purpose behind this center was to make a place of refuge and hope for those we serve. This community center serves mostly Iraqi Christian refugees and has provided aid, comfort and a sense of community to many families seeking a renewed direction or assistance with resources.
Helena Scott, our Jordan Country Director, has been instrumental in leading the efforts to coordinate essential services and programs that have brought a sense of stability for our displaced Christian brethren. Presently the center is serving nearly100 families and new families continue to come through every month.
According to Mike Simpson, CEO of FRRME-UK, many projects are initiated by the refugees themselves and have included crafts, music and cooking, for example.
“The different types of therapies that we provide for both adults and children has really impacted those suffering from traumatic experiences,” Scott noted.
The Olive Tree Center also offers English classes for the refugees and IT classes are also in the planning stages.
