Even though missiles began flying overhead, a volunteer group based in Lenexa said they successfully completed their mission in Jordan to serve residents and refugees without access to medical care.
What volunteers for Global Care Force had witnessed turned out to be the start of the fighting between Iran and Israel.
About two weeks ago, volunteers for Global Care Force were in Jordan, a country located between Israel and Iran, providing aid to residents and refugees, when air raid sirens started going off and missiles began flying overhead.
“We were at our accommodations. It started at night … It seems like as soon as it would get dark every night, you would start hearing things and seeing things in the sky,” said Roxanne Jones, registered nurse and vice president of global programs at Global Care Force.
Since mid-June, missiles and attacks have been exchanged between Israel and Iran, with the United States military getting involved last weekend when it struck three Iranian nuclear sites.
Based in Lenexa, Global Care Force is an organization that provides medical aid around the world for those struggling to find it, like refugees. With a history of providing aid in war-torn areas, like Ukraine, the volunteers stayed calm and safe.
“I’m very familiar with (air raid sirens) because I go to Ukraine so much. I’ve been there 16 times. My 16th trip was in May. And so, (they’re) common,” Jones said.
As the sirens went off, the team of five volunteers watched as Jordan’s missile defense system intercepted the weapons.
“We always, when we take a team, we have a backup plan. We have Plan B and C and D. Those aren’t bad plans, they’re just another option for us, and thankfully, we did not have to divert from Plan A,” she said.
The group formed in 2020 in response to the pandemic
Originally started as the COVID Care Force as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the volunteer organization has since evolved into providing medical care for people in need in other countries.
In addition to Jordan and Ukraine, it has also provided aid in Egypt and Mexico, and in Gallup, New Mexico.
During the visit in Jordan — the organization’s first on-the-ground clinic there — volunteers helped hundreds of the roughly 1 million refugees from other countries, such as Syria and Palestine, who were in need of medical care.
“Depending on your passport, your ethnicity, and the type of visa you were given when you enter Jordan depends if you get health care, depends if you can go to send your kids to school, depends if you can get a job,” Jones said. “And so, these people, even though they’ve been in Jordan, they are struggling. They’re still in refugee camps. Medication and medication services are limited or nonexistent, depending on the passport.”
The group provided relief and care for refugees
During the group’s visit, they hosted nine clinics and administered medical care to 620 men, women and children.
Some of the ailments they helped treat included chronic issues, like hypertension, diabetes, cardiac issues, as well as PTSD, anxiety and insomnia, Jones said.
Just being seen and heard by someone goes a long way, Jones added.
“They said we gave them hope because they feel like they’re forgotten and many of them had kind of lost hope that nobody really cared about them anymore,” she said. “We were able to show them that people do care, people have not forgotten them, and that we want to go and serve.”
The group hopes to return to Jordan every two months, Jones said.
The group will continue its mission
Despite the flying missiles the group witnessed overhead this month, they said their mission in Jordan was a success.
“We didn’t expect the conflict to happen, but it did, and we were well aware of the safety factors, where to go, where not to go, but we continued with our mission (and) we were able to accomplish it successfully,” Jones said.
The group credits a talented support team in keeping them safe and able to help others.
“We had a great team on the ground of translators and drivers and so forth that stuck with us the whole time, which helped to make it successful,” Jones said. “We didn’t have to change our itinerary at all. We were just very well aware of what was happening and when it was happening and where.”
How to help: Those wanting to help Global Care Force can do so by sponsoring a volunteer at this link
