"The Spirit of the Lord is on me; because he has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisonersand recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free."(Luke 4-18)

 

On the occasion of the International Day to Pray the Victims of Human Trafficking, February 8, 2021, the Religious Union organized in cooperation with the team of the Wells of Hope initiative in Jordan, represented by Dr. Dima Karadsheh, the national coordinator, Dr. Haifa Haider, Professor Wafaa Makhamreh, Professor Israa Al-Shayab, President of the Religious Union, Sister Cecile Hijazin, and the Regional Coordinator Sister Marie-Claude Nadav, and in cooperation with the Global Network of Human Trafficking "Talita Com", Sister Gabriel who's responsible for the global network. Competitions were held that included several participations in the form of drawings, videos and various articles, aimed at educating school students about human trafficking issues and ways to combat them. And publish winning articles, drawings and videos that help raise awareness.

 

It is noteworthy that there are some schools that graciously accepted the invitation and interacted with the initiative for this activity and began to work as a beehive in their schools, parishes and youth.

 

And the evaluation of the competition was supervised by the able writer and journalist Hanna Salameh, the poet and writer Deacon Hayel  Alamat, and the visual artist Suhail Baqain, who makes the imagination a voice and the dream an image and an energy of optimism that extends outside the frame of the painting, and the able star loved by everyone, Professor Ghassan Al-Mashini, and the number of schools that participated and interacted is twelve schools:

 

Elementary Latin Patriarchal School/ Fuheis and Secondary Latin Patriarchal School/ Fuheis, Rosary School/ Marj Al-Hamam, Rosary Sisters College/ Shmeisani, Rosary Sisters School/ Al Musdar, Rosary Sisters School/ Jabal Amman, Rosary Sisters School/ Irbid, Mixed Latin Patriarchal School/ Madaba, and The Latin Patriarchate School for Girls/ Madaba, the Latin Patriarchal School/ Al-Hashemi Al-Shamali, the Latin Patriarchal School/ Al-Hosn, as well as the Latin Youth in the parish of Al-Hosn

 

The results of the most beautiful and expressive competitions were as follows:

 

In the field of preparing the internationally expressive video

 

Student Alia Ashraf Al-Zoubi won the first place from Rosary Sisters College/ Shmeisani/ Secondary Department, second place student Joy Wasfi Haddadin from Latin Patriarchate School/ Al-Hashemi Al-Shamali and third place student Grace Adel Dababneh from Rosary Sisters School/ Jabal Amman and third place repeated by student Joud Raed Haddad from Rosary Sisters School/ Irbid.

 

In the field of expressive article in elementary grades

 

The two students, HebaAyman Nasser from the Rosary Sisters College/ Shmeisani, and Rose Essam Sawalha from the elementary Latin Patriarchate School/ Fuheis won the first place, and the second placealso won by the two students Yassin Rawashdeh and the student Grace Dababneh from the Rosary Sisters School/ Jabal Amman. As for the third place student Samira Wasim Amin Diab from the College of the Rosary Sisters/ Shmeisani and the student Nardine Rihani, repeated from the Rosary Sisters School/ Irbid.

 

In the secondary grades

 

First place was won by student Diala Emad Nawaisa from the Rosary Sisters College/ Shmeisani, an article in Arabic and English, and also a repeated student Sarah Al-Haddad from the Rosary Sisters School/ Al Musdar won for an article in English. As for the second place, the student Wadee Sweidan from the Latin Patriarchate School/ Al-Hosn and the student Zumurud Saeb Khairo repeated from the Rosary Sisters College/ Shmeisani won, and in the third place the student Catherine Hijazin from the Latin Mixed secondary School/ Madaba and the student Mais Hussam Qasim from the Rosary Sisters School/ Al Musdar won.

 

In the field of expressive drawings

 

The two students, Maryam Al-Khayyat and Masa Hatamleh repeated won the first place from the Rosary Sisters College/ Shmeisani, and the second place went to the student Maria Nasser Makram Al-Ziyadin from the Rosary Sisters School/ Marj Al-Hamam, also repeated the student Andy Al-Consul from the Boys Latin Patriarchate School/ Madaba, and the third place won by student Joyce Sweiss from the Rosary Sisters College/ Shmeisani, as well as a repeated student, Jude Sahawneh from the Latin Patriarchate School/ Al-Hashemi Al-Shamali. The forth prize went to Selena Salem Al-Bawab from the Latin Patriarchate School/ Al-Hosn, and studend Jawad Ma'ayah repeated from the Boys Latin Patriarchate School/ Madaba.

 

In the name of the members of the Religious Union in Jordan and the Wells of Hope initiative, we offer our congratulations to the winning schools, the cooperating sisters, the honorable principals, the wonderful teachers, the families of the participating students, and to all groups of the participating youth in the citizens of Jordan, for their cooperation in the success of this initiative and for making their voice through this activity to all over the world. A thousand congratulations to all the winners and to the schools, and good luck to those who were betrayed by luck.

 

Please allow us to shed light on the occasion of the International Day of Prayer to the Victims of Human Trafficking, on this blight that afflicts many regions of the world without discrimination, especially the poorest, or "excluded others" in our society, those who live on the margins and the most vulnerable, such as women and children, who are the victims of injustice and exploitation. There is currently a large number of people who are trafficked and enslaved more than ever before in history, and the profits from the victims of human trafficking are enormous, especially in the sectors of mining, agriculture, hospitality, manufacturing, construction, domestic work, prostitution and organ transplantation.

 

His Holiness Pope Francis appealed to the world to "promote a new way of thinking about people, life, society and our relationship with nature." If we accept this call and open ourselves to living in a more simple and compassionate manner, and work to remove the differences between privilege and poverty, and if we choose not to accept this call, then liberating the oppressed that Jesus called for in the Gospel of Luke will be difficult if not impossible.

 

So let us my brothers and sisters on this occasion with the prayer of the global network Talita Com and the Pope whom we will meet on the same day through means of communication from 11:30 until 2:30 pm, let us on this occasion raise the supplication to the Lord to remove this blight from the world and to Saint Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of the victims of human trafficking on her day, who lived injustice and bitterness.We pray with her and say: Oh Saint Josephine Bakhita, you who suffered the pain and difficulties of servitude while you were a child, and when you were liberated in the body, you found true salvation by meeting Jesus and his Church.

 

Oh, Saint Bakhita, offer your assistance to all those who have gone through the same suffering of slavery and trafficking, and with your intercession, beseech them with God to free them from the chains of slavery and capturing, and to aid all those who have been subjected, wounded or suffered from slavery.

 

Blemish the wounds of the survivors of trafficking and slavery, and guide them to the path of Jesus as a true example of faith and hope so that they, in turn, can overcome their wounds. We beseech you to help us all so that we do not fall into indifference and to open our eyes to the fact that there are brothers and sisters suffering deprivation of their dignity, their bloom and their freedom, help us to hear their voices and hurryto their help. Amen