The 2012 Building Peace by Building Homes participants recently returned from their trip in Jordan. Continue to catch up with their experiences by reading more! To find an amazing volunteer opportunity, search the AUA Directory of Recommended Organizations© today.
The idea that people would serve as volunteers is novel in Jordan. Most people there have never done it. To help normalize the notion of volunteering, Habitat for Humanity invites several Jordanian news outlets to film the Building Peace by Building Homes team at the worksite. Here the camera crew is talking to Habitat program officer Fadi and community center leader Buthaina.
After work the Building Peace by Building Homes team visits the Abdul Rahman Ben Ouf Society outside Salt. This is an NGO that has specialized in local permaculture, a branch of ecological design and engineering that cares for the earth and the people, and sets limits to population and consumption. The NGO also boasts a formidable chess team trained for years by Elham beaming here between Building Peace by Building Homes team member Constance and two of her chess champions. The chess players are top-ranked in Jordan and have competed in several different countries.
Contractor Abu Ussama hosts us at his family’s house for an evening feast. The centerpiece of the meal is mansaf featuring a whole goat. Notice goat meat artfully arranged on a bed of rice surrounding the goat’s head with a bunch of cilantro in its mouth. There are bowls of vegetables and tart yogurt as well as delicious yogurt sauce. The vegetarians in our group enjoy a separate feast of fried cauliflower, baked French fries, eggplant, red pepper sauce and fritatas. Yum!
