Traffic jam around mosques

  Arab world is in the midst of Ramadan (the month of fasting) which continues for one month once a year. Through the month, Muslims live more faithfully following Islam’s teachings than other months. Muslims frequently go to mosques and pray in morning and evening.

  JEN’s Amman office is located near  a white and comparatively new mosque in Amman. We can hear the “azan”, a loud announcement for salat, the prayer, five times a day. I am glad that I can live an environment where I can enjoy hearing azan when I go to sleep and when I am working.

  However, there is only one thing I am annoyed with. That is the traffic jam around mosques. A street crossing close-by that we must use to go everywhere is packed with  double-parked cars along the two sides of the street. Sometimes the cars block the whole street crossing!

How can we stay in Jordan in the long term?

  Visitor paper is very useful to stay in Amman in the long term. However issuance of the paper needs several procedures. At first, you need to register your organization with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. And then, you also need to register your office with the city government of Amman and take an HIV/AIDS blood test.

  Then, you need to file some documents at the Ministry of Interior for foreiner registration, get a work permit from the Ministry of Labor and be interviewed at police stations. Through these six steps, the visitor paper will be finally issued.

  Jordan accepts many immigrants from states such as the neighboring country Egypt, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. There are many agencies that were developed to deal with the legal procedures. It is not rare that one applicant has around 20 passports. However, individual applicants must go through the crowd at the desk and convince and beg the lazy officials, to promptly deal with its procedures, again and again.

  This process for Japanese people is the same as Iraqi people. However,  for Iraqi people, bank’s balance statement and an interview to investigatewhether they have any relationships with fringe groups and other steps are needed.

Force of Partnership

  JEN has supported 17 Elementary and Junior High Schools in Baghdad to renovate water and hygiene equipments supporters and Japanese Government. Now 10 out of 17 schools have been completed since February 2009. Another 7 schools have entered the final stage.

  Most of the building constructors which join JEN’s school renovation projects have been in partnership with JEN since they started the projects in Iraq in 2003. JEN registered building constructors made requirements for security, in observance of the guidelines by the Iraqi Ministry of Construction and Housing, referring to the quality of work, access to the sites and price. JEN called for bids for the projects so their skill to renovate the schools was proven and JEN knows their ability of office work through actual bids and contracts.

  When I came here as a finance officer, invoices and receipts issued by the building constructors included many typo errors. So sometimes it took two months to make them issue the correct documents. Over the last year, their ability of office work has developed gradually. Some companies changed the design of their documents and they responded to our requests quickly and correctly.

  I am very pleased if JEN’s projects contribute to development of the local building constructors’ written competence.

Capacity building for the teachers

   Today, thousands of teachers need to be trained in Iraq. The efficiency depends on the experience, but also they always need to continue their skills to brush up.

  It is believed in this decade that the sufficient changes should be implemented to education. For example, “illiteracy” is regarded as “a lack of ability to access the new knowledge”. The Ministry of Education of Iraq has continued to emphasize the importance of training teachers in its annual plan since 2003. However, apparently, this training has been really limited and making only a little progress.

  It is also planned that the government of Iraq should contain training for teachers by cooperating with international organizations. And it is proposed that teachers are to come to Japan for the effective training and also specialists should be sent from Japan to Iraq for the support of their education system.

  The Education department is always making a progress bit by bit. Recently JEN has emphasized the development of the education environment. This project not only develops access to education for children, but also educates students for the future of the country. At the same time, JEN hopes for the development of health and that our project can be used effectively.

Generation Gap and Culture Gap

   Iraq, Jordan and other Arabic states generally regards honor and dignity of the“family” as the most important value of society. According to Iraqi staff, those who were recognized as refugees by the legal process and migrated to liberal western states suffered from a lot of mental stress.

  Most Iraqi people are devout Muslim. The relationship among their family is recognized as the most important thing. Muslims live based on Islam. For example, Muslims consistently pray 5 times a day and never drinks alcohol.

  If those who have Islamic value, living in western states, not all Iraqi people, but most of them must live in the place where there is no school and shopping center with equipment for praying. It is very difficult to keep their Islamic living practice because work and study prevent them from going to Islamic religious service on Friday (holiday in Islam).

  This causes a generation gap mentally between parents who try to keep their Arabic culture and children who go to school in a new environment and have friends there. It frequently causes social problems, too.

Work in progress

  I am a new Programme Officer in Baghdad. I am an Iraqi, born in 1956. I work in the field of education since 1980. I hope that peace will prevail in my country and everyone works dutifully towards construction and development in all areas.

  You know that my country was subjected to three wars since 1980 until 2003 and a scientific and an economic blockade since 1991 until 2003, as well as the problems that occurred after 2003. that these wars have led to the underdevelopment of the country to keep pace with development in all spheres of life. It has produced many of the problems of educational, health, environmental, economic and others. Japanese people would know very well the negative consequences of the wars more than others.

  In these lines, I shall focus on the most important issue that must address is the development of people’s understanding. To enable this development, each of us should understand his rights and duties and have the love of the homeland to contribute to the reconstruction of the country. All decisions need to be made based on public interests, love, peace and tolerance rather than hatred, violence, revenge. It is true that this kind of peace education requires time, I think we should start now, and the beginning with children (kindergartens and schools), because children are more flexible to new concepts and the one who hold the future of my country and its communities.

  Therefore, we have to think about how to do this task. What is the role of the state? How can non-governmental organizations to contribute to it? We should benefit from the experiences of other countries in this area, particularly Japan.

Arabic Asset Management

  People living in Arab countries reportedly do not use interest-earning bank accounts. How do they manage their asset without fixed deposits?

  Serving as an alternative, there is something called the Islamic Banking in the region, which is a system that serves as a go-between for personal investments. The bank and individual investor agree to invest in some project and receive an “advantage” which is not identified as “interest”. The advantage usually ranges from 5% to 10%. However, they sometimes may not receive any advantages. Even though they will not receive any advantages for some years, they can maintain a relationship of mutual trust. This is the style of Arabic business.

  Another way of asset management is the possession of gold. Thanks to the increase in the price of gold, acknowledgement of “gold as fortune” is now widely prevalent. Some say  “possession of gold is the best way of asset management because it makes men happy by getting lots of money, and at the same time makes women happy by receiving gold”.

  In Amman, there exists a long street of gold shops (suku) which get very crowded during the weekends. The designs of gold items seem to be different from Japanese tastes, which are mostly big ornaments or heavy chains.

After the Visit from the Monitoring Team

On November 3rd, the staff of JPF (Japan Platform) visited JEN’s office in Amman to monitor JEN’s projects in Iraq. The JEN project in Iraq has been executed through remote management since 2003.

JEN has concluded the last projects funded by JPF in Baghdad, by achieving complete or partial renovation for 84 elementary or junior high schools, hygiene education, distribution of study desks, foundation of school management committees and facilitation for the committee.

JEN is currently carrying out the renovation of 18 schools. The projects have benefited 75,000 students, 3,500 teachers and more than 5,000 labors.

In 2004, JEN renovated 6 sewage facilities in Baghdad, which benefited more than 100,000 people and 400 laborer’s lives.

JEN would like to take this opportunity to thank JPF for its long-term assistance and everyone for their support in JEN’s Iraq projects.

This will be the last JPF funded project. However, JEN continues renovation of water supply facilities in schools which is a highly prioritized need in the educational field.

We hope that you will continue to support JEN!

Arabic Sweet That Brings Happiness

After the fasting month of Ramadan that I introduced twice in these blogs, a local staff brought Arabic sweets (see the photo above) to our office. These treats taste very sweet.

These are called “Ma’mool” in Jordan and “Kulaija“in Iraq. They usually eat it during “Eid”, the festival that occurs five days after Ramadan. In order for the sweets to bring happiness, it must be home-made. The local staff bought a home oven so that his wife could bake the cookies.

In Iraq, around five million people are currently away from their homes due to the war. For a maximum six years, some of the people have baked the “Kulaija” away from their homes. Year after year, they hope for peace and stability of their home-nation, and an immediate return to their homes.

JEN helps to prepare an acceptable environment returnees from evacuation site to return to, through the improvement of the education environment in Iraq.

To Know Ramadan Part #2: “Almsgiving”

I would like to talk about "almsgiving" which is one of The Five Pillars of the Muslim. Almsgiving sounds like a difficult concept but it just means 'contribution'.

There are two kinds of almsgiving. One is "zakat" and another one is "sadaqa". Nowadays, zakat is recognized as systematic (obligatory) almsgiving and sadaqa is recognized as voluntary almsgiving. 

"Zakat" is comparable to a tax imposed on Muslims, which is used for assistance to the poor. People pay it to the government like tax. Every year the government decides the rate of this tax. This year, they decided 1.5 JD (approximately 212 JPY) per person.

On the other hand, "sadaqa" is a voluntary donation. Neighbors ask each other for donations and hand it to aid poor families. This is a mutual aid system among neighbors, which is different from governmental welfare.
　
Such a mutual aid system is prevalent across the Islamic world. One of them is called "table of Allah" where Muslim give Iftar to the poor. We can see tables and chairs beside mosques, restaurants and hotels. People are taking a seat there in the evening. Anyone can take a seat and it is free. It is chance for the poor to have delicious meal because the restaurants must give them the same quality as the meals served inside.

To know Ramadan Part #1: “Fasting”

The season of Ramadan of this year has begun.  Ramadan is the 9th month in the year of the Hijra, the Islamic calendar. During the season, Muslims deeply study the Koran and perform “The Five Pillars of the Muslim” or five duties deemed on every Muslim; Shahadah (profession of faith), Salat (ritual prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting during Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Japanese are unfamiliar with Ramadan, which is one of the Islamic duties. Ramadan does not mean that Muslim eat nothing for a month. It means that Muslims refrain from eating from sunrise to sunset. It is prohibited to have not only food, but also water and smoking.

Every day, when we hear azan, reciting the Koran from the mosques, every Muslim begins to have Iftar (dinner after fasting).

In the afternoon, roads that are usually already crowded with many cars, become packed with event more cars to go home. In the evening, drivers get crazy because they are anxious to get home by sunset. Some of them violate the speed limit and drive violently, nearly getting crushed.

Then when the Muslims finish Iftar, they feel full of much appreciation for Allah. After Iftar, they meet their relatives and friends till late at night. We can see electric spectaculars like Christmas and nicely dressed people in the city.

Facing the issue: Water Supply in Jordan

Jordan is cooler than it’s neighboring countries, and also has a large source of water. However, the time of year has come, as usual, to become worried and anxious about the water shortage. Jordan has suffered from it every year because there are no reservoir in the country. Therefore there are laws such as one that bans car-washing by hose.

The temperature in Iraq is 10 to 15 degrees C higher than that in Amman. In the summer season in Iraq, it has become 50 degrees C or over in hottest days. Reportedly, in Sadr City, a poverty stricken place in Baghdad often faces water stoppage and has insufficient public facilities for water supply. The hotter it becomes, the desire for access to safe water increases.

JEN’s school renovation project focuses on the facility related to water supply or sewage water. Because schools are public facilities, it is possible for this facility to become the water for the surrounding community as well. JEN has now decided that the current school renovation project which is supported by JPF (Japan Plat Form) and other donors shall include Elementary and Junior High Schools in Sadr City. JEN hopes the renovated schools will contribute to the communities in the area.

Prices Rise in Jordan (Part I)

There has been severe inflation in Jordan over these past few years. From 2003 to 2008, the price of sugar (that supports the lifestyle of sweet-tooth Jordanians) has risen from JPY1,000 to JPY4,000 per 50kg, and similarly the price of 25 kilograms of rice has risen from JPY450 to JPY2,500.

There are two main reasons for this price rise:
The first is that due to the War in Iraq, the crude oil agreements with neighbouring country Iraq have failed. Prior to the war, Jordan received oil from Iraq for half its original price in exchange for Jordanian food and basic needs (there is a more favourable climate in Jordan to grow food). However, during the war from 2003, Jordan was faced with no alternative but to import oil at standard prices from countries such as Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. Under the old agreement, one barrel of oil (159 litres) was US$14, but now the same amount costs US$141. Just like Japan, daily functions in Jordan depend on oil, and therefore this had a very large effect on Jordan.

Efforts hidden in toilets

JEN is now organizing pictures of the operation which was completed in the beginning of April.
It is a fun work to see photographs of cleanly newborn schools after restorations. This time, I am fascinated by the toilet tiles.

Don't you think that the tiles are as decent as of hotels with pastel colors and cutovers?

According to staff members in Baghdad, building constructors in Iraq collect samples from European countries in recent years and study interior designing.
　 

JEN's specification describes to apply tiles on toilet walls and the quality of the tiles has to fulfill the standard which JEN specifies in the specification. However, it does not require elaborate designs.

The building constructors seem to make efforts for high completeness to the extent permitted for their budgets. We can imagine that children use the toilets comfortably.

Places where children love

The restoration of schools terminated in the beginning of April. It was conducted by the donation of the Japan Platform(JPF) and individual donnors from September last year.

We conducted mainly restorations of tanks, toilets, sinks and others which were needed to repair urgently in 25 elementary schools and junior high schools in Baghdad, and pass over to the Education Ministry of Iraq.

New operations started from the end of April focus on 18 elementary schools and junior high schools in the capital city. They will fix water-related facilities, electric equipments, doors and windows, and will build up safe and clean educational environment.

JEN’s educational supports in Iraq will continue to make the place children love comfortable.

Japanese Devices, Iraqi Devices

While implementing JEN’s school reconstruction projects, we make an attempt to take into consideration the opinion of the teaching staff. This is why there are small variations in each of the schools, such as the colors of the walls.

The faucet shown in this picture is one such example. I do not think this type of faucet can be seen in Japan. The handle of the faucet is at the bottom, with the tip facing upwards. In Japan, there are multi-purpose faucets where the tip of the faucet can rotate according to whether you want to drink the water, or wash your hands.

I was left wondering why we could not install what I believed was a more convenient faucet that faces up for drinking, and faces downwards for washing. I asked the local engineer about this. He explained that he is avoiding rotating faucets because they consist of more joining parts, and it is easier to break.

After the school reconstruction is complete and handed over to the Iraqi Ministry of Education, it is the responsibility of the teachers and staff to preserve and maintain the facilities. It is essential for us to accommodate our facilities to make repair as low cost as possible and strong to stand the wear and tear of the long-term use of these facilities by the school children.

The Appearance of Men ～ Key to a Happy Marriage

(Continued from previous entry)
　‘Men also make an effort to look attractive for their partners,’

The men talked about how they must always appear clean and tidy, and wear the cologne that their wife likes. They think that such efforts are necessary, that it is the key to a happy marriage! 

Men crowd the perfume stores in the shopping districts of Arab countries that are lined with a variety of perfumes. I hear from Muslims that in the Hadith (sayings by the Prophet Muhammad), which is considered just as important as the Koran, there are many references that express the need to respect your wife.

My friend showed me a picture of him and his wife taken at their home during their wedding anniversary. The picture showed a cheerful woman with light makeup and beautiful hair. What left an impression on me was the warm look that they were giving each other in the picture.

Just as with any religion or culture, there may be Muslim women that behave in a modest manner. However, it is limiting to make judgments based on biased information or generalizations. I think it is important to put ourselves into their shoes as we come into contact with all types of lifestyles and ideologies. This might be a roundabout way in order to pursue a project that suits the locals’ needs, but it is important as I am gaining new perspectives on culture on a daily basis.

The Appearance of Women

Local staff members not only have conversations about the progress of the project, or the Iraqi situation, sometimes daily conversation extends to cover topics such as Arab culture and the teachings of Islam.

The other day the topic of women’s fashion came up. Though Jordan consists largely of Muslim believers, it has a relatively liberal atmosphere. However, while some women stride through the city wearing fitted, glamorous clothes and makeup, the reality of the situation is that the majority of women cover themselves entirely wearing a headscarf and light makeup.

The wife of one of our staff is one such woman that seems to favour a more conservative and reserved dress sense. Following Islamic values, she dresses in a way that does not draw attention to her when she goes out. However, we learnt that when she returns home, she applies makeup before her husband comes home:  ‘This is normal!’ he answers and smiles, ‘of course, it’s only for me to see!’ he adds.

If this story ended here, modern opinion may have you thinking that ‘Islamic women are still living in the shadows of men…’ However, his story continues…

The Playful Hearts of a Construction Company?

Given the present security situation in Baghdad, international staff members are unable to go directly onto the project site. We monitor the progress of the construction and maintenance through pictures taken by our local staff members in Baghdad.

Amongst the pictures we received last week was one of a both beautiful drawing of a playful animal drawn as part of the construction. In the past, we have seen flower patterns and slogans, but this is the first time we have seen an actual drawing.

JEN covers the outer coating of school buildings in the construction, but it does not include pictures. The paint used to draw such pictures on the walls is at the personal expense of the local construction company. The local construction company that oversees the construction work for JEN projects is chosen through an appropriate bidding process.

The two schools shown in these pictures have both been given positive assessments in their past projects with JEN. The fact that the company purchased the paint at their own expense despite the ongoing competition amongst the contractors may have been a sign that they wanted to display the high quality of their reconstruction. Or perhaps they wanted to provide a modest gift to the children that live in the midst of such hard times.

In any case, it is incredibly wonderful that these delightful drawings are creating happiness for both the teachers and students alike.

The New Year: a Time for Happiness

Two weeks have passed quickly in the New Year.

There are relatively few national holidays in Iraq and Jordan. However, towards the end of last December, there was a rare streak of holidays including the Festival of Sacrifice, Christmas, and both the Christian and Muslim New Year. Kirieche, a homemade Iraqi sweet, was made and shared to celebrate the Festival of Sacrifice. 

As the holiday season continues, JEN, with the support of the Japan Platform, are continuing our project to provide renovation support to elementary and junior high schools in Baghdad.

On January 11th, Baghdad saw it’s first snowfall in over ten years. To those who have never seen snow, it seemed to rouse a renewed hope for a brighter future. Since last fall, Iraq has been seeing slow improvements in the security situation.　More positively though, last December there was a law passed approving the return of former Ba’th party members back into public office. With this, the country took their very first steps towards national reconciliation. 

We hope that 2008 will bring fortune and happiness to the People of Iraq. This year, we are hoping for your continued unconditional support for the children of Iraq. 

Bougainvilleaes

Rain brings a look of delight to the faces of the Jordanian people after a long period of drought.

After the rain came and went for a few days, I was delighted to spot a small bud of green arising from the red dirt in the outskirts of Amman. In Jordan, although it is difficult to see any green outside of the spring season, it is possible to spot some Bougainvilleaes flowers from time to time.

This flower reminds me of a scene from my favorite television show that is set on a beautiful wharf covered in Bougainvilleaes.

I was surprised to find out that my special flower is called ‘The Disorderly Flower’ here in Jordan. Upon asking my friend where the Bougainvilleaes got such a name, my friend suggested that perhaps it is because the stems of the Bougainvilleaes grow in such random, disorderly directions. It is true; the stems of the Bougainvilleaes at our office grow in different directions. Then, from these disorderly branches, an orange flower will suddenly bloom from the light pink stems. Thinking about this, I understood the Jordanian interpretation of the Bougainvilleaes.

I was shocked when a local staff member later told me what the Bougainvilleae were called in Iraq – ‘The Hell Flower’. This negative name is puzzling to me, because contrary to the names they have been given, Bougainvilleaes seem to be appreciated in both countries!

The Islamic Spirit in the Festival of Sacrifice

In Jordan, the five consecutive days following December 18th are holidays celebrating the Festival of Sacrifice.

For the Festival of Sacrifice, each Muslim family is expected to offer one sheep, cow or camel as a sacrifice if it is economically feasible for the family to do so. This custom has its roots in a historical story. In this story, the Prophet Ibrahim offered his son to Allah, as a sacrifice yet Allah understanding the strength of his religious devotion, told him he should sacrifice a lamb instead. 

Sheep are the main choice of sacrifice in Iraq and Jordan. According to the laws of Islam, the family should keep one third of the sacrifice, give another third of it to their relatives, and give the last third to their poor neighbors.  Billboards advertising sheep could be seen all over Amman before the Festival of Sacrifice. An organization, Um Ali, collects donations from these billboards in order to provide meals to the poor. Um Ali derives its name from Prince Ali’s mother, the late princess Alia, wife of the former King Hussein. It is clear that Islam places a strong emphasis on making contributions to the poor.

A Gesture of Respect

While I was clearing away some photos of students taken in front of an old school that had yet to be rebuilt, I felt a little uncomfortable at seeing the children with their arms crossed in some of the pictures.

In Japan, crossing our arms in front of people of seniority such as teachers is considered rude. Upon asking a local staff members about this, I was told that especially in elementary school, students cross their arms in order to express respect for their teachers. I felt much better understanding that rather than a gesture of defiance, this was a gesture of respect shown by children towards their teachers. On the other hand, it seems that it is unusual to cross arms to those of similar age groups.

There have been reports on the improvements of the security situation in Iraq since November; however political turmoil is not over yet. It is too early to tell whether such positive trends will continue.

Every time I see pictures of these children, I hope for the day when they smile from the bottom of their hearts.

Heated Election Campaign

The Jordanian government declared Tuesday, November 20th a holiday due to the parliamentary election.

The government is making a strong appeal to the nation for votes. Prior to the election, there were many posters of various sizes and different designs with pictures of the candidates could be seen along the streets of the town. In addition many cars decorated their windows with posters of those they are supporting.

The Election Campaign Office interested us more than the posters. The special pavilions suddenly appeared in any empty spaces. They are same kind of pavilions as those used for wedding or funeral ceremonies. We can get a sense of the national character of Jordan through these pavilions even though the styles of the pavilion vary among the candidates. During the campaign, some candidates are said to rent many in order to gather their supporters for speeches about Jordan’s future outside and under the blue sky.

Fixing pieces and getting ready

Contaminated foods and water hit the summer in Iraq by Cholera.  It is only recently that the government announced that the situation is getting better after the summer. 

Please see the photo taken at the washing-space of the girl’s elementary school in the slum area of the Baghdad we repaired. 

There was no water and swage system prior to our repairs and the washing-space without the water was used as storage. We also needed to repair electronic facilities to be able to use electronic devices. 

We made it clean and pink tiled washing-space for girls as well as for the bathrooms.  They can also enjoy the lights and fans. 

JEN is repairing the school infrastructures as described above for both elementary schools and junior high schools in Baghdad.

When you use a PC in an Arabic country

It is well known that the Arabic language is written from right to left.  Are you interested to know how it is handled when you type Arabic into a PC?  This photo is from the computer screen of our local staff.  It reads “Hello to the supporters of JEN’s activities!” in Arabic.  The PC needs to be set up so that the cursor moves from the right to left by clicking an icon, what is also interesting is that the numbers go from right to left as in Japanese while the words go vice versa.  When numbers are typed in, the order changes automatically as shown in the photo so that it shows “2007”.  You can select either Indian numbers or Arabic numbers.

  You have to handle two different keyboards when you make English materials, since the Arabic keyboard is specially designed and cannot type in Roman Characters.  To write in Roman Characters, you have to switch it the other way around.

Ramadan, Fasting

The end of Ramadan, the fasting month of Islamic calendar that started on September 13th, is approaching. In Amman, houses are alive with electrical spectaculars of Islamic symbols such as the moon and stars in preparation for Ramadan.

In Jordan during this period, “devout” Muslim abstain from food between 5.00 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. I imagine it would be much harder to tolerate thirst rather than hunger because they cannot drink anything either.

Because the period of Ramadan is becoming earlier year-by-year based on the western calendar, fasting may take place in the heat of the summer hereafter. It is difficult for me to image working while fasting in Baghdad, where it exceeds 50 degrees in the hottest part of summer.

After sunset, the family comes together for a meal called ‘Iftar’ to break the fast. They frequently have this dinner with their friends.

They read the Koran, give to the poor, and promote bonding among family members. Ramadan is a special month for devout Muslims, while other less-devout Muslims can be seen sneaking a snack during the day.

Cactus for Food

During summer season, I can see a fruit in the vegetable shops in Jordan. This fruit is unusual looking as can be seen in the photo. This is a “Cactus-Pear” which is a type of prickly pear. When I pick it up, I felt a pricking sensation, giving me small splinters in my finger.

I have seen a man on the street wearing tough gloves, cleaning and peeling the  “Cactus-Pear”. Now I can understand that this is a necessary service for customers. In supermarkets, the “Cactus-Pear” is seen on the shelves both peeled and packaged.

The “Cactus-Pear” has many seeds inside. Maybe I can say it tastes like a sweet watermelon. The pain in my fingers lasted for a while. However, it was interesting to find a new food.

Horns of Joy

The last Saturday of July in Anman was full of cheerful high school students leaning out of car windows.

The frenetic sound of horns announced that it was the last day of school exams, and that the grades had been released also.

The final exam scores not only serve as proof of the student's graduation, but they are also decisive for entering university.

Jordanians usually celebrate by ringing their car horn.In the beginning of July、the well known ruins of Petra were chosen as one of the "New Seven wonders of the world". The decision was announced at one o'clock in the morning, but the celebrating horns sounded until well past two a.m. and there was no sign of them stopping anytime soon.The same thing happens when Jordan's soccer team wins a match.

Last month the Asian cup was won by Iraq. Their team's winning brought the country a lot of happiness during difficult times.

However, 50 people who were celebrating the great result unfortunately fell victim to a suicide bombing attack, and others were killed by stray bullets from guns fired in celebration.

In Jordan, the once popular firing of guns in celebration seems to have been abolished by law.

I wish Iraq would also discontinue this tradition to prevent incidents occurring just when people are celebrating happy moments.

Water Supply System

In Iraq, it is possible to gain sufficient water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.  However, gaining water from these rivers has become extremely difficult due to the inability to conduct maintenance on the systems because of financial difficulties caused by the economic sanctions, and also as a result of the bombardment of the facilities during the war.

In its school reconstruction operations, JEN pays special attention to the construction of water supply facilities.  This is because many of the schools that JEN reconstructs have water supply facilities that are completely unusable.  Previously, these kinds of schools used to pump water with a hose from nearby neighborhoods.  Some schools did not even have tap outlets for hand washing, and we also had pictures of other schools, prior to their reconstruction, where sanitary conditions were terrible.

Along with restoring the drainage systems through the replacement of the sewage pipes, JEN is also constructing water supply facilities such as water tanks to ensure that children and teachers are still able to access water despite disruptions to the water supply.

Home sweet home... but...

It is three years since Badwan, a Jordanian staff member, started working at JEN’s office in Amman. As he had previously worked as concierge at a high-class hotel, he is very considerate of and communicates well with people. As well as this, you can often see his sentimental side. For instance, when we reminisced about the international staff that used to work together in the office, he was moved to tears. In both of these ways, he is valuable for JEN.

He has a good wife who likes cooking and they have six children meaning he leads a full and happy daily life. However, when he talks about his home, Palestine, which he strongly longs to return to, his face is clouded. It will be a long time before this dream comes true.

Badwan says that he is happy to work as one of the members of JEN to support people, who are in vulnerable situations. In our small office in Amman, we work hard to try and contribute to developing the conditions of education in Iraq, with the co-operation of field staff like Badwan.

How children play.

Let’s have a look at how children play while they are at school.

Boys are big fans of playing soccer. There are lots of soccer fans in Iraq, and the Japanese animation “Captain Tsubasa” is a big hit. The story’s hero is Tsubasa, whose name translates into Majid in Arabic.

What girls enjoy the most is skipping. Playing tag and hide-and-seek are really enjoyed by both boys and girls.

There are other fun games that seem popular, such as “stand and sit” which is played in the classroom among all students. Similar to the Japanese “hata-age” (raising the banner) game - raise red, raise white, don’t raise white! - the teacher calls out “stand, sit, or don’t sit!” and doing the actions determines the winner.

We asked our field staff members about how Iraqi children play, and they feel that the children spend all their free time just as Japanese children do.

Safety inside schools is barely maintained, but with the security situation worsening and upsetting the children, this might be the only place where they can enjoy themselves.

Spring Picnic

  Spring has come in Jordan.  Families enjoy sunny weekends picnicking in the green spaces found here and there.  Although it is only a short spring, just a few months, during this season fresh flowers and grass fills Jordan’s fields and makes people happy.  Strangely, people picnic, not only in the green hills of the suburbs, but also on land alongside busy highways, wherever they can find grass growing!

People say that Iraqi people also used to picnic in this way before the war.  Families, relatives and friends enjoyed peaceful weekends in the green suburbs of Baghdad.  While military operations continue to intensify in Baghdad, zoos and amusement parks are supposed to be reopening in the city.  However, many people are still in fear of their lives and do not like to leave their homes.
    

Playing in the sun, children are full of cheerful smiles in Jordan.  We hope that one day, Iraqi children will also be able to play on a sunny day without any fear, as children do in Jordan.

Women in Jordan

In Jordan, a Japanese female is always mistaken for a Philippine at every corner around the town.  So is at JEN’s office in Amman, agents come to mistake a Japanese program officer for a Philippine servant.  One day an agent spoke to her at the door:

“I want to see your father or mother”. 

Sounds as if he came across a little girl, but he simply meant in broken English: “call your Master or Madam”. 

That happens because many female servants immigrate to Jordan from Philippine, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. 

A woman from Sri Lanka has been working in Jordan for ten years.  She migrated after having worked for several years in a factory right after completing secondary school.  She got through her initial struggle to keep up with housework and Arabic language.  Now she speaks Arabic and English fluently.  She still studies English eagerly every day and night.  Meanwhile, she never forgets to send remittance to her family in Sri Lanka. 

Working in Jordan seems to make her stronger despite any difficulties.

Iraqi Passport

What is a big difference between a Japanese passport and an Iraqi one?  Scarcely any countries reject the Japanese one today for an entry or a visa permit.  How about the Iraqi one, how many States would welcome it on the border?

A mass exodus of refugees provoked from and within Iraq has already reached 50,000 per month.  An influx to contiguous Jordan and Syria climbed to the amount of 500 thousands to one million.  However, both asylum countries have been tightening the regulation of the Iraqi nationals on the border and on the issue of visas and residential permits. 

Still, a large number of Iraqi refugees remain in the two neighbouring countries after the expiry of their permits and hide themselves illegally. 

They are unable to receive any social services such as education.  Jordan, overloaded with the increase of refugees, has been appealing to the international society to share the burden.

A Special Day

Local staff is making a sneeze. 

“Bless you!  Have you got a cold?” 

“Thanks, but I must not catch a cold – at least today!” 

“Something special today then?” 

“Eh well… my wedding anniversary,” he replied with a shy smile.

“A husband forgets such anniversaries while his wife is looking forward to – that always happens not only in a soap opera – still you are a perfect mate, lucky your wife!”  “Oh no, my PC helps.  Important anniversaries pop up automatically on my desktop a week before each – our wedding, our first date, and our engagement… quite a good number to input.”

Love grows after marriage – an Arabic saying that he strongly believes in.  He married one of his relatives.  Without having asked her out before, he directly asked her father for a permit to propose to her. 

He has been happy at home for ten years with his wife, her handmade cooking and their children.  Here is a sweet wedding, love, and happiness in Arabic style!

Before After

We are repairing three primary schools and one junior high school in Baghdad. After the repayment has finished, schools become amazingly beautiful as if it was reborn, bathroom especially.

In Iraq, water line and sewage treatment equipment has been destructed and some schools do not have bathrooms available. Muslim has a passion for cleanliness; they have to pray with their body clean. It must be hard for them to co-op with dirty bathrooms.

One of the schools JEN had recovered, bathrooms for teachers had been destructed because of war, therefore teachers had to go to the neighbours to use bathroom and felt inconvenient. Some girls were reluctant to go to school because of dirty bathrooms. When JEN recover these bathrooms, we use tile that easy to clean up.

Our desire is make children can concentrate on study without quibbling.

Cooperation without Boundaries

Here is a letter from Jordan, signed Nami Uesugi, a Japanese staff appointed to JEN’s Office in Amman in May:

“It is a great pleasure for me to interact with people from different background from my own.  Still, as it is the first time for me to get involved closely in a Muslim society, I had a slight fear before coming to Amman if I could make it in such a new working environment.  However, my fear disappeared as soon as my arrival thanks to kind help of local staff in Iraq and in Jordan.  I would like to write about one of them, a program assistant in Baghdad.  She is such an attractive Venus - it is a pity that I am unable to show her fantastic picture for her security, as unfortunately in Iraq international workers like her have been targeted by militia groups.  When I timidly called her for a work on a holiday, she willingly came to office adding that she even enjoyed a different face of the city from clouded weekdays.  I was impressed by her kindness and passion for work which, despite very difficult situation in Iraq, made me believe again that people could work together without any boundaries.” 

Blackout

    The biggest problem in Baghdad today, is electricity.

    Electricity often goes off for long spans of time during the hot of the day; just as you think it has been on for 2 hours, it is followed by a sudden 4 hour blackout. Many houses have generators of their own, and those who don't rent them from others, usually paying them worth 7 hours of electricity per day.

    The current temperatures in Baghdad hover around 45 degrees, but in August, the hottest month of the year, they hit as high as 60. Needless to say, an air conditioner-or fan at the very least-is absolutely necessary to get by. Most households within Baghdad have one or the other of the two, but during blackouts they have no choice but to rely on generators.

    The sweltering summer is approaching, yet again.

Living Side by Side with Death

     Terrorist attacks are all the talk in Baghdad.

    Whenever or wherever you may be, including your own house, death is always lurking around the corner. If a family member is just a few minutes late in coming back, you cannot but help call them on their cell phones to make sure of their safety.

    Not only adults but many children as well own cell phones, so that should something happen, they can contact their family immediately.

    Although there still are children who go to school on foot, there are others who go by car, or have monthly contracts with shared taxis. Schools are basically open throughout the school term, however, parents decide daily whether they should send their children to school or not based on daily security reports. Teachers understand and respect this circumstance.

    The marketplace, a place where many people gather, is a typical target for bombings. Therefore, locals avoid the market as much as possible, and instead try to get their shopping done at nearby grocery stores.

    Even when living side by side with many such dangers, people go shopping, children go to school...Peoples' lives go on.

Security Training

A security training program, organized by the IOM-IRAQ (International Organization for Migration Iraq Mission), was held at Amman. The program was constituted of 2 parts; during the first 2 days, participants were intensively taught about wireless radios and mines, as well as how to behave when one is kidnapped, and the latter 2 days involved practical training setting an ambush in the desert, or being taken under confinement, as the assumed scenarios.

During the training, explosives were set up by the road, and the trainees’ cars were “attacked” with colored bullets, as well as threatened by armed staff at a fake checkpoint. Even though participants knew it was only training, long sessions under strained conditions proved stressful.

Obviously, it does not mean that one’s safety is assured by simply undergoing such training. It is possible, however, to decrease the risk of oneself or one’s colleague from being exposed to danger, from learning the ways to react in the case of an emergency. Through such programs, we hope to always be prepared for work in unstable areas.