February 25, 2014

I’ve been working at Questscope for almost two years, and during that time I have been specifically dedicated to “Emergency Response,” an effort to limit the damage and suffering caused by the Syrian refugee crisis.

 

Think about that. An “emergency” that has been going on for two years, leaving people in a state of barely getting by.

 

By definition, an “emergency” is unexpected. And it is temporary. We were not meant to live in prolonged emergency. The psychological and physical toll is too great. The motion and commotion needed to treat an emergency, and the strength needed to survive one, are exhausting and expended at great cost.

 

Nevertheless, that is what we are facing—Syrian refugees have been in a suspended state of motion, chaos, resource competition, fear, and tension for more than two years.

 

During this time, billions of dollars have been spent trying to stabilize the inherently unstable, to make order of entrenched chaos, to bring comfort to those whose losses continue to stack one on top of another.

 

I can’t help but think that the system must change.

 

We need new solutions for new emergencies. We need new goals, in light of the deluge that continues to make stability impossible. Instead of trying to create stability, how can we better prepare people for instability? How can we prepare people to meet uncertainty with resilience?

 

In Zaatari Camp and in the cities where Questscope works, I’ve seen innovation. I’ve felt the power of new ways of thinking about “emergency response.” By building relationships to transcend fear, by giving someone a stake in shaping the future for their neighbors, and by asking men and women to help heal even in the face of their own pain, strength has emerged.  

 

When billions of dollars have not been able to bring stability, let us invest in preparing for instability. By building relationships within and between vulnerable communities, by innovating new models of community-led education, and by treating those in the “emergency” as more than victims, Questscope is changing what “emergency response” means. It is a privilege to be a part of that change.