From Jabal Hussein Refugee Camp, Amman. Over the years, Jordan has received a large number of refugees from neighboring countries. In many cases, people have come to Jordan in order to escape conflict or bloodshed in their home country. In Jordan, Palestinians make up the largest community of refugees.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization that helps refugees, has a network of 10 refugee camps throughout Jordan.

Today we visited a school run by the UNRWA -- The Preparatory Girls School in the Jabal Hussein camp. We arrived at the school and were greeted by the teachers and many of the students singing us their school song. It was a warm welcome!

The reason for our visit was to learn about the recent student government elections. After 2 weeks of campaigning, 24 girls had been elected to the school’s Parliament. I was really impressed by the students’ enthusiasm. Each young lady had a unique idea of how to improve the school. Each girl’s platform was slightly different. Some candidates focused on student-teacher relations, while some wanted to improve the resources and materials available. Other candidates were focused on sponsoring special events, like field trips.

After each newly-elected member of the Parliament shared their campaign slogan with us, we talked about the challenges of leadership. They asked us questions about school in America; then, we asked them questions about school in Jordan. In the end, it was a good exchange of ideas.

Where to now? The Rose Red City.

Copyright © 2009 ProjectExplorer, LTD. All Rights Reserved.