Each day, members of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary visit residents of Jordan: the sick, the elderly, the vulnerable.
“Economically, everything is becoming more expensive here, especially the cost of living,” says Sister Josiane Makdissi. Even if people are working, many need help to make ends meet, she adds.
Jordanian Nabir Ahas tries to take care of her elderly parents — her mother has cancer and Alzheimer’s — in a house filling with mold from humidity.
“Sometimes we thank God and try to manage with the food we have,” she says. “Sometimes we don’t even have enough money to buy a loaf of bread.”
Osama Maradi, an Iraqi refugee who fled to Jordan after being threatened with death in Iraq, says he is “psychologically exhausted.” Iraqi refugees are not allowed to work, or they will be deported, so he relies on help from the church.
“God will see us through,” he says with a sigh.
Watch the video by Raghida Skaff.
Read more about what the church is doing to help residents and refugees in Jordan in Laure Delacloche’s story, “A Deepening Fragility,” in the September issue of ONE.