| The Collateral Repair Project in affiliation with the International Humanities Center Click on images to view project pages |
| Projects Funded Thanks to Your Caring & Generosity |
Projects for Children in Amman |
| School Supplies |
| Art Supplies |
| Micro Projects that have already been funded to help families in Amman - by month: |
| Our First Project |
| September 2007 |
| October 2007 |
| Wasit IDP camp Sewing Project |
| November 2007 |
What are the Collateral Repair Project's "micro-projects"?
The majority of Iraqis who have fled Iraq to Jordan do not have and cannot get legal residency status. Without this status, they
are barred from employment. Many have exhausted or will soon exhaust what savings they brought with them from Iraq and are
living hand-to-mouth, making them vulnerable to being hired by exploitative employers who pay wages far below standard and
demand longer hours for work in unsafe conditions.
We have talked to several refugees who tell us that after completing a month of work, their employer tells them that they aren't
getting paid at all. These unscrupulous employers can get away with this because there is no legal recourse for the illegally
employed; complaining to authorities could result in deportation by into Iraq. This is the risk that any undocumented Iraqi takes in
Jordan if they work for an employer. Immigration police regularly make the rounds of work places suspected or known to hire
undocumented Iraqis. For many Iraqis, a forced return to Iraq could mean certain death.
Even if an employer pays fair wages and expects only reasonable hours, they are risking paying a hefty fine of 500 JD so, when
they think they may be investigated, will terminate the jobs of their Iraqi employees, leaving them suddenly without income. This
is especially hard on families with children and it is estimated that about half of Iraqis living in Jordan are children. There is no
social system in place to provide financial assistance for Iraqis without legal status except through a few NGOs (non-
governmental organizations) and international funding is inadequate to support the needs of the estimated 750,000 plus Iraqis in
Jordan.
The Collateral Repair Project, through contributions from people like you, supports families by giving them micro-grants to
purchase equipment and supplies for them to start up a small cottage industry for sustainable self-employment.
The benefits to these families are:
We do not ask for repayment of the grant amount. Instead we suggest that recipients contribute to assisting other new
micro-project grant recipients to help them get started by teaching them the skills needed for their new cottage industry.
The majority of Iraqis who have fled Iraq to Jordan do not have and cannot get legal residency status. Without this status, they
are barred from employment. Many have exhausted or will soon exhaust what savings they brought with them from Iraq and are
living hand-to-mouth, making them vulnerable to being hired by exploitative employers who pay wages far below standard and
demand longer hours for work in unsafe conditions.
We have talked to several refugees who tell us that after completing a month of work, their employer tells them that they aren't
getting paid at all. These unscrupulous employers can get away with this because there is no legal recourse for the illegally
employed; complaining to authorities could result in deportation by into Iraq. This is the risk that any undocumented Iraqi takes in
Jordan if they work for an employer. Immigration police regularly make the rounds of work places suspected or known to hire
undocumented Iraqis. For many Iraqis, a forced return to Iraq could mean certain death.
Even if an employer pays fair wages and expects only reasonable hours, they are risking paying a hefty fine of 500 JD so, when
they think they may be investigated, will terminate the jobs of their Iraqi employees, leaving them suddenly without income. This
is especially hard on families with children and it is estimated that about half of Iraqis living in Jordan are children. There is no
social system in place to provide financial assistance for Iraqis without legal status except through a few NGOs (non-
governmental organizations) and international funding is inadequate to support the needs of the estimated 750,000 plus Iraqis in
Jordan.
The Collateral Repair Project, through contributions from people like you, supports families by giving them micro-grants to
purchase equipment and supplies for them to start up a small cottage industry for sustainable self-employment.
The benefits to these families are:
- The ability to support themselves and their families
- Reduced risk of deportation and exploitation
- Many of these households are led by a single woman - either because her husband has died, is detained or missing in Iraq,
or is still in Iraq, unable to join their family because they were inside of Iraq when the border was closed to Iraqis. Cottage
industry allows parents to be at home with and supervise their children - Men who cannot work outside of the home to support their families are vulnerable to depression. Micro-projects that
involve both parents help men to provide for their families and to regain self-esteem. They are less likely to put themselves
in the position of risking deportation and thus families are kept intact. - Families involved in our micro-projects funded home industry have expressed that they are not only able to improve their
financial situation, but that they also now have hope for their immediate futures until they can return to a stable Iraq.
Families working together find a sense of purpose and satisfaction. - Self-employment and it's challenges puts the recipients in control of their own lives after having the lives they had built for
themselves in pre-Occupation Iraq ripped from them. These projects promote a degree of healing.
We do not ask for repayment of the grant amount. Instead we suggest that recipients contribute to assisting other new
micro-project grant recipients to help them get started by teaching them the skills needed for their new cottage industry.
| It costs very little to provide these things for a family. Our typical micro-grants are usually between $150 - $350. Please consider making a donation toward assisting a family in Amman to regain a degree of stability and security. Click HERE to read about families who are waiting for your help now |
| Jan - April 2008 |
| CLICK ON THE "LOTUS" TO DONATE NOW |
| Check back to see projects funded in Dec 07 |
Home
A Family in Iraq
| May 2008 This will take you to the project page for May - All of these projects have been funded by your generosity. We'll have a new page up soon with updated photos of May micro-grant recipients and their words of thanks. Please check back |