Project Resilience

Visit Two | Amman, Jordan

March 19th - 31st, 2026

Despite significant logistical challenges at the outset, including disrupted flights, we successfully arrived in Amman late on Thursday, March 19. The visit coincided with the beginning of Eid Mubarak. Work resumed immediately, focusing on reconnecting with children and families, assessing ongoing needs, and delivering psychosocial support and essential items across multiple accommodation centres.

Key Activities & Observations

1. Arrival & Initial Engagement (March 19–20)

Arrived late Thursday, March 19. On Friday, reached out to leaders at the main accommodation centre.
Purchased sweets and chocolates before visiting families. Received a very warm welcome; many familiar faces among the new families.
Great excitement from children; immediately asked for football. Promised to arrange a game the next day.

2. Difficult Updates & Losses

Several previously supported children had passed away, including:
- A very young baby who had been supported with essential items during the pilot project.
- A young boy evacuated too late for treatment; the project had ensured his final days included comfort and a communication device to speak with family in Gaza.

3. Positive Progress – Child with Amputation

Met a child who had undergone amputation just after the previous trip.
He looked much healthier, was socialising with friends, and is responding well to treatment.
Expected to receive a prosthetic in the coming weeks.
His parents remain in Gaza, unable to leave; he is in Jordan without them or any of his siblings.

4. Football & Small-Scale Activities

Weather was challenging, but spirits remained high. Played football in a small space beside the hotel (stadium visit not possible this trip due to limited capacity).
Purchased new footballs and distributed hurleys from Ireland.
Met a newly arrived child recovering from brain cancer surgery; provided an electronic device to help him communicate with family in Gaza.

5. Supporting a Young Boy with Brain Cancer

Met a young boy with brain cancer who was in urgent need of support.
Provided essential items including a new tablet so he could keep in touch with his family remaining in Gaza.
The device offers him a vital lifeline to his loved ones during an incredibly difficult time.

6. Supporting a Young Girl with a Tumour

Also supported a young girl who had a tumour causing her to go blind in one eye.
She had just turned 18 and was very passionate about going to university and continuing her studies.
Despite the pain she is in, she still holds hopes for the future.
As a small gesture to help her reach that goal, we purchased a tablet for her.

7. Deeper Access & Evident Trauma

Because the children and families already knew the team from previous visits, the level of trust was significantly higher.
This trip, I was given access to many more families, and as a result, the depth of trauma was more visible than before.
Noted more profound trauma amongst the children. However, despite the horrors they have endured and continue to endure, they remain the most resilient, loving, and affectionate children.
They live in profound uncertainty: separated from their families, knowing their homes have been destroyed, and aware that their education and medical facilities no longer exist for them when they return to in Gaza.

8. Emerging Health Concerns

Noted a significant number of young children including babies being treated for brain cancer and related conditions.
Suspected causes: trauma and exposure to toxins from munitions and other substances used on the Gazan population.

9. Organising the Amusement Park Event (March 22–29)

Spent several days negotiating in person with amusement parks, as is local business practice.
Secured a private booking for the weekend of March 28–29 to ensure child safety and security. This was difficult during Eid and holidays.
Event dates: Saturday and Sunday, March 28–29.
Over 500 children and their families from three different accommodation sites attended.
Sunday was a school day for some, but children attending Christian schools were able to join, along with elders.
After the park, children were taken for a meal at a nearby restaurant, followed by singing, dancing, and a dabke performance.
Hired multiple buses for transport; coordinated with a local volunteer group in Amman who assisted with logistics and ensured needs were met on both days.

10. Visits to Other Accommodation Centres

Visited two other centres during the following week.
Met children previously supported, as well as others who had been returned to Jordan.
Shocking finding: One centre has many children with hearing and eye problems. Some children had been returned twice at the border because Israeli authorities would not allow them to pass with their hearing implants – despite coming to Jordan specifically for that treatment.
Hearing issues are likely linked to ongoing exposure to drones, bombs, and war-related noise in Gaza.

11. Individual Support for High-Need Children

In coordination with community leaders, identified children needing the most support.
One case: a girl paralysed due to lack of treatment and delayed evacuation; her tumour can no longer be treated.
During the first two visits, she was lying in bed. After receiving a tablet for art, crafts, and communication with friends in Gaza, she got up and took several steps – something she had not done in a long time.
She also attended the amusement park and said she had not felt that happy in a very long time.

12. Strategic Meeting

Held a productive meeting with the project's legal representative and potential partners. Discussions advanced plans for the next stage of the project.

Summary & Outlook

This trip revealed more of the invisible wound’s children are carrying, precisely because trust has been built over time. The trauma is profound, yet so is their resilience, love, and affection. Despite losing family members, their homes, education, healthcare, and often family contact, these children continue to show joy and hope. The small gestures of providing tablets and essential items are making a meaningful difference – enabling communication with Gaza, supporting educational aspirations, and offering moments of happiness. The team successfully delivered recreational activities, essential items, and individual support. The next phase will build on the partnerships established and continue addressing psychosocial needs with a deepened understanding of the long-term support required.

Our Long-Term Vision

Once we have raised sufficient funds we are committed to a sustained a long-term ongoing presence in Amman to provide:

Weekly play therapy sessions for evacuated children.
Continuous material and emotional support for terminally ill patients and their caregivers.
Regular outings and activities to combat trauma and isolation.
Emergency readiness to support new arrivals and prevent crisis.

How Schools & Universities Can Help — Every Contribution Matters!

Your support, no matter the size, will directly fund essential programmes such as:

Monthly play therapy supplies and volunteer coordination.
Medical and comfort items for critical cases.
Transport for outings and emergency evacuations.
Clothing, food, and communication tools for families.

Together, we can keep our promise to these children and offer them hope, healing, and humanity in a time of crisis. This is more than a project, it’s a promise.