“I’d like to know my future. Am I going to stay in Jordan, or will I go back to Syria or be resettled somewhere else?”
This is an excerpt from GRC collaborator Tara Sutton’s piece for the New Yorker on the plight of Iraqi and Syrian refugees in Jordan. Sutton is involved with the Collateral Repair Project (CRP), a grassroots nonprofit in Amman, Jordan, that brings much-needed assistance to refugees and other victims of war.
Sutton is a Canadian journalist and filmmaker who has been based in the Middle East for much of her career. She said that, in late 2011, when a huge influx of Syrians came into Jordan, the CRP mobilized to start helping the refugees.
“Almost every person who comes to us is traumatized in some way, either through a lost loved one or threats on their and their families life. Many have witnessed unimaginable horrors so we really try to help them overcome that however we can,” said Sutton.
Often, Sutton says, being a journalist comes with a sense of “screaming in the dark” when it comes to reporting on human rights issues. “We bring stories to light, often incredibly sad ones, and then it seems little happens.”
She has produced video projects about the challenges refugees face and the work of this organization, including Little Refugees and Welcome to the CRP.
Her work with the Collateral Repair Project has directly impacted the lives of refugees. In addition to providing basic services such as food and school fees, Sutton and the organization have been able to use the media to bring light to these stories and offer ways for the public to help.
Read her piece, “Waiting for Resettlement in the Age of Trump” in the New Yorker.