Search Results

Inter-Organizational Cooperation Aims to Bring Clean Water to Sinjar by Keely Jahns September 1, 2022 Like the Christian communities of Northern Iraq, when the ISIS insurgents swept across the Nineveh Plain in 2014, over 400,000 Yazidis were also displaced. This year, fighting has displaced thousands more. From the initial wave, much like how our Christian brothers and sisters in Jordan and other neighboring countries, have not found the region suitable for a return; around 250,000 Yazadis who sought refuge in neighboring regions found they had nothing to return to as well. The businesses, homes, and basic services like water and electricity were severely disrupted in their hometowns. In many places, the infrastructure in place prior to the invasion was either too delicate to withstand attack or it was deliberately sabotaged by the insurgents. Upon returning, what water was left, if any at all, was not clean enough to drink. Several NGOs have made it their mission to return the water to Sinjar. Inter-organizational cooperation to implement programs for Yazidis is signaling a focus on Northern Iraq, not previously seen, and will potentially help to reroot the lives of hundreds of thousands who wish to return to their homeland. News like this brings us abundant hope for our mission of hope, help and healing for the people of Iraq. In 2021, the United Nations Office for Project Services and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) announced their plans to dig wells and resume clean water distribution to the people of Sinjar . Similarly, the The Building Peaceful Futures Project, a cooperation of the Australian Government and Save the Children , began initiating plans to dig wells for the Yazidi communities in Sinjar. One of these projects, implemented by Save the Children, was sorely needed for the Yazidi communities that have begun returning to the region. In the meantime, the organization and others like it, are working to rebuild the infrastructure to resume water filtration to homes, businesses and schools by distributing clean water in bottles and larger tanks with purification units. This has enabled families to return to Sinjar and to enroll their children in school again, without fear that they will have no water to drink or that they will become sick from the water that is available to them during the school day. “I love Sinjar so much because it is my homeland, my home, the place where I was born,” says 13-year-old Rana* (name changed for security reasons) from Iraq, in a recent interview with Save the Children. Rana is a Yazidi from Sinjar who was six years old when ISIS took her town. Her family had to flee into the mountains for safety. They stayed there for seven nights with little food and water. After more than three years of living in a displacement camp, Rana’s family was ready to move back home. They join many Yazidis who are determined to rebuild their homes, despite the violence that continues to destabilize parts of northern Iraq. Rana remembers the moment she returned to school. “When the schools opened, there were not many teachers…the old water tanks were perforated and the water was dirty so we just washed our hands with it.” The organization distributed water tanks and sterilization units to the school, and set up water distribution networks all over Sinjar. This is making an enormous difference in the lives of the communities that call Sinjar home. This mission, and others like it, is an important piece in the puzzle of helping life resume for those who have been displaced by sectarian violence. International and inter-organizational cooperation like this will be absolutely critical moving forward for our organization, and any other organization that shares the same geopolitical spaces that we do. If we are to rebuild Northern Iraq for its most vulnerable communities, particularly in areas with broken infrastructure and continuing challenges posed by political and sectarian violence, we must work together to provide basic needs and a restart to all who are returning. Previously, our work in Northern Iraq has helped Christians and Yazidis rebuild businesses and resume their lives. We also work to provide hope, help and healing to the diaspora of Iraqi Christians who have refugee status in Jordan. Our mission continues with a laser focus on bettering the lives of the Iraqi people within Iraq. In Baghdad, St. George’s Church and Clinic continues to provide essential dental care to the people of the city. Amongst the refugee community residing in Jordan, the General Greer Scholarship will help provide children with the tools they need to succeed in school and brighten their futures wherever they go; whether that is a future in Northern Iraq, or anywhere else in the world. This work by Save the Children, the Australian Government, the United Nations and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) is an encouraging development in the mission to restore the lives of refugees and displaced persons. As we grow and expand our own programs, inter-organizational cooperation like this is essential. American FRRME’s Mission of Hope, Help, and Healing American Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (American FRRME) is a U.S.-based Christian charity that aims to bring hope, help and healing in the Middle East, assisting Iraqi Christian refugees and other religious minorities. American FRRME works to support the ongoing needs of Iraqis – primarily Christian Iraqis – who fled Iraq and Kurdistan during the ISIS insurgency in 2014. The organization supports those displaced within Iraq many of whom remain living in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps in Baghdad and northern Iraq, as well as supporting those who fled to neighboring Jordan. Working in partnership with churches in Iraq and Jordan, in 2019 we established the Olive Tree Center in Madaba, Jordan. The center currently provides a safe and accessible place for Iraqi refugees to gather together and celebrate their culture together. Crucially, the center provides education and therapeutic activities including English classes, sewing, art and music, along with a mosaic and wood workshop and fresh produce garden.

NEWS Middle Eastern Christians at Risk, Warns Researcher By Keely Jahns Published On July 14, 2022 Christian communities in the Middle East are at high risk of continued persecution, warned Robert Nicholson, executive director of the Philos Project. The Philos Project is a new Christian advocacy group dedicated to advancing pluralism and religious freedom in the… AFRRME Updates Meet Azad By Keely Jahns Published On July 7, 2022 Azad is a refugee from Mosul. In Mosul and Qaraqosh, he worked as a formwork carpenter in housing construction. He and his family lived comfortably when Azad’s carpentry business was booming. Like many families, when there wasn’t enough work, they… AFRRME Updates Thomas the Apostle and the Christians of Nineveh By Keely Jahns Published On July 1, 2022 July 3rd is the Feast Day of the Apostle Thomas, a very significant figure to the Christians of the Nineveh Plain. His journey across the Middle East led him to evangelize communities in Northern India. Founding churches across his route,… AFRRME Updates Christian Persecution Continues Across Globe By Keely Jahns Published On June 24, 2022 The Christian persecution watchdog group, Open Doors, estimates that 13 people around the world are killed each day for following Jesus. Right now, in places like Nigeria, 2.7 million people of many different tribes and faiths, including many Christians, have… ​ AFRRME Updates Olive Tree Center Open House By Keely Jahns Published On June 17, 2022 We are proud to announce our upcoming Olive Tree Center Open House, on June 24th, 2022. Join us from 6-8 PM for traditional Iraqi food, music, dance, artwork, culture and FUN! There will be mosaics on display, created by the… ​ AFRRME Updates Iraqi Christians Deserve to be Seen as More Than “Other,” says Cardinal Louis Sako By Keely Jahns Published On June 9, 2022 Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako of Baghdad addressed the issues of peace and unity faced by Iraqis in an analysis sent to the organization Fides this week. The Patriarch addressed the misconceptions amongst the majority-Muslim population about Iraqi Christians.… AFRRME Updates Iran is Squeezing Christians and Minorities out of the Middle East, Says Researcher By Keely Jahns Published On June 2, 2022 A researcher with the Philos Project told journalists in February that Iran is squeezing non-Muslims out of the country, and is fighting to do the same in nearby states such as Iraq and Syria. In these neighboring nations, Iran is… AFRRME Updates Remembering the Pope’s Call For Peace By Keely Jahns Published On May 26, 2022 In March 2021, Pope Francis made a notable visit to Iraq, during which he was moved to the “deepest part of his soul,” by the plight of Christians across the Nineveh Plain and the Greater Middle East. According to Archbishop… ​ AFRRME Updates 20 Christians Killed by ISIS in Nigeria By Keely Jahns Published On May 20, 2022 Last week, ISIS extremists executed 20 Nigerian Christians in a brutal knife attack to “avenge the killing of the group’s leaders in the Middle East.” The Islamic State posted footage of their executions in a vile warning to Nigerians, that… AFRRME Updates Yazidi People Forced to Flee the Nineveh Plain Once Again By Keely Jahns Published On May 13, 2022 A new round of fighting in Iraq has driven around 1,000 Yazidi families from their homes on the Nineveh Plain. Yazidis are a kurmanji-speaking ethno-religious minority indigenous to Kurdistan, a land that spans parts of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and… AFRRME Updates St. George’s Anglican Church and Outreach Bringing Hope, Help, and Healing to Baghdad By Keely Jahns Published On May 4, 2022 St. George’s Anglican Church in Baghdad had its doors shuttered during Saddam Hussein’s regime. After the end of the dictator’s rule, it opened its doors once again, but not without facing many challenges. Built in 1936 to honor fallen British… AFRRME Updates Egypt Releases Nine Coptic Christians Jailed for Attempting to Rebuild Church By Keely Jahns Published On April 28, 2022 On April 24th, 2022, after outcry from human rights organizations, the Egyptian State released nine Coptic Christians who were detained for attempting to rebuild their community church. They had been detained for nearly three months. Coptic Christians, the largest non-Muslim… AFRRME Updates 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - 5 - - 6

NEWS Meet Enaam By Keely Jahns Published On April 21, 2022 Meet Enaam, a teacher from Iraq, whose life changed when ISIS invaded Qaraqosh. Life was happy and stable for Enaam and her family, despite the challenges faced in her country before the insurgency. “Qaraqosh is a Christian town. It is… AFRRME Updates Easter Sunday: Traditions in Iraq and Around the World By Keely Jahns Published On April 14 , 2022 This Sunday, April the 17th, millions of Christians around the globe will be celebrating Easter and commemorating the resurrection of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Among them are most Protestant denominations, Roman Catholics, and a majority of people in… AFRRME Updates Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine: Reflections on the Global Refugee Crisis By Keely Jahns Published On March 31, 2022 As of March 30, 2022, 4 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine. Millions are internally displaced amidst gruesome fighting, and millions have fled the country into neighboring nations such as Lithuania, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, and Poland. The International… AFRRME Updates David E. Greer Scholarship: A Legacy to Enrich Lives By Keely Jahns Published On March 24, 2022 The General David E. Greer Scholarship Fund has been established in memory of the organization’s former Executive Director, Brigadier General David Greer who lost his life in a tragic accident in 2020. “David had a deep affection for the people… AFRRME Updates General Greer Scholarship Fund to Provide Education to Refugees in Jordan By Keely Jahns Published On March 10, 2022 In the West, most children are afforded a K-12 education. In places like the United States, as well as in many European countries, children are guaranteed an option of free public education. This sets children up for success in life,… AFRRME Updates Catholic University Offers “Pope Francis Scholarships” to Iraqi Christians By Keely Jahns Published On March 3, 2022 Education impacts your entire life. That’s why Catholic University is offering Christians in Erbil the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Along with many who stayed and rode out the turmoil, there are countless Christians returning to Iraq nearly eight years… AFRRME Updates New Catholic Church and University Bringing Hope, Help, and Healing to Christians in Erbil By Keely Jahns Published On February 24, 2022 “Christians in Iraq will not become a museum exhibit for religious tourists to come and view.” – Father Benedict Kiely It was August 2014. Erbil and the roads out of Northern Iraq were filled with hundreds of thousands of Christians… AFRRME Updates As Tensions Rise at the Iraqi-Syrian Border, Iraqi Christians Cling to the Hope of a Peaceful Future By Keely Jahns Published On February 10, 2022 Jihadist tensions along the Iraq-Syria border are being watched carefully by Iraqi Christians. It was not long ago that ISIS waged war on Christians and Yazidis in the Nineveh Plain, attacking towns, burning churches, forcing conversions, and killing families. Most… AFRRME Updates Priest Murdered in Northwest Pakistan By Keely Jahns Published On February 3, 2022 On January 30th, 2022, Bishop William Siraj, Father Naaem Patrick, and a third, yet unnamed priest had just finished celebrating Sunday Mass in the Gulbahar neighbourhood of Peshawar City, Pakistan. The holy men were walking home in peace, when the… AFRRME Updates Action Needed to Keep Christians from Leaving the Middle East By Keely Jahns Published On January 26, 2022 Jihadist tensions along the Iraq-Syria border are being watched carefully by Iraqi Christians. It was not long ago that ISIS waged war on Christians and Yazidis in the Nineveh Plain, attacking towns, burning churches, forcing conversions, and killing families. Most… AFRRME Updates Christians Struggle to be Counted in Iraq’s Democratic Process By Keely Jahns Published On January 17, 2022 Christians Struggle to be Counted in Iraq’s Democratic Process Iraq is home to the oldest continuously practicing body of Christians in the world. In 1990, there were estimated to be 1.5 million, 3% of the total Iraqi population. Since then,… AFRRME Updates Christian Villages Emptied Once Again By Keely Jahns Published On December 6, 2021 Iraqi Christians are under siege once again. Christian villages across Kurdistan are bracing for bombardment. On November 6th, 2021, Turkish bombs fell over the town of Father Samir Youssef, an Iraqi priest who has seen wave after wave of violence… AFRRME Updates 1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - 5 - - 6

Team Members Brian Chung VP Product This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Camilla Jones Content Manager This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Kelly Parker HR Representative This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Marcus Harris Account Director This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Brad Grecco Marketing Associate This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More Ashley Amerson Product Manager This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Read More