Those Wide Open Eyes

WHEN people set fire to public property which has become the pop-in-pill of the day they release a lot of toxic gas into the very air they breathe. The air which has already been polluted through mistakes of the past. What goes missing here, hind thought or the forethought? The greatest mistake, however, is that we forget the pairs of wide open eyes of little ones who study the mad acts of the adult world.

A father was holding a remote control in his hand while carrying on a heated argument with his son about plans for the son's higher studies, where both father and son differed dramatically at many points. Suddenly, the father slammed the poor electronic device down smashing it into a hundred pieces.

When people throw things down to break them into a thousand pieces in a fit of rage do they or do they not think of the trouble one has to face while cleaning up the mess? A serious question indeed. When such unwelcome actions are copied on screen in many movies how do we appreciate it? — as the director's authentic representation of life? Ok, so what credit does a child give the director? Over the course of many such scenes, the child subsequently learns another funny side of the adult world that may beckon him later!

The man who broke the remote control was a potato couch for whom going up to the television set to change channels was as tedious and irritating as climbing up a dozen flights of stairs. Yet, he did resort to it the following days until a new one arrived with an unnecessary bill! Then why on earth do people not manage their outbursts at least for their own sake? In their fit of anger they do not give a thought to those poor souls who have to clean up somebody's anger that scatters clumsily around. That is because when anger rears its head etiquette and decorum pick up their skirts and make for a run!

School results have come out in the sub-continent. I am saddened, not by the incredible number of flying colours, but by the number of suicides that followed as well. What is it that frightens these little angels who have so many other innocent qualities that adults have to learn from? A boy who secured a 90 per cent plus also chose the extreme tragic end.

What were his or his parents' expectations? A one hundred per cent? Was he too fast or were others' expectations fast. Some say he didn't have the financial facilities to steer him ahead. Maybe God had better plans for him! Needless to say that if we are not successful in saving our young ones from foolishly giving in to their emotions we haven't gained anything in terms of being role models.

Sometimes we don't understand why people stop loving themselves and rely greater on others' opinions on their self. Why do they give their precious selves up to others? The very next day I heard the news of a poor physically challenged person who was bitten in the face by a mad dog as people stood helplessly watching, fearing to go near the ferocious dog. He couldn't fend for himself as his entire structure was out of sync. Aren't we like the mad dog when we give in to the raging bull within us? We forget that we are blessed with every conceivable faculty to fend for ourselves against unconstructive emotions.

Tolerance is not a strained effort as many see it. If we strain to tolerate anger the persona of anger still remains with only a change of place. When tolerance is taken up with a pinch of strain, instead of heading for the other person it comes head on to yourself or simply burns the act itself giving no room for the light of peace that follows real tolerance. The "tolerator" ends up hating himself.

An easy way is, the moment we prepare ourselves to cool the fuming dragon, we have to believe that we are the owner of a particularly enlightened nature. We have to credit our merits and love ourselves. As we count our blessings we could also count some of the lovely forgiving angles in our nature that we are capable of. With that, we slowly fall in love with ourselves and that is the beginning of true life!

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Stephen Leacock’s world of humour

WE live in a world filled with grim happenings and sombre tidings. Wholesome humour that can lighten the high pressure modern living is obviously in short supply. In such a context writers of genuine humour are a rare and welcome breed. To this tribe belongs Stephen Leacock, British born Canadian writer and educationist. Today, December 30, being his birth anniversary, it would be apt to take a brief look at his life and literary world.

Stephen Leacock was born in Swanmore, Hampshire, England in 1869. At the age of six Leacock and his family moved to Canada, settling on a farm in Ontario, near the shores of Lake Simcoe.  While the family had been well off in England, now had to pass through difficult times. To add to the misery, Stephen’s father became an alcoholic and deserted the family.

They were fortunately supported by Leacock’s grandfather. He sent the boy to the elite private school of Upper Canada College in Toronto where he was top of the class and was chosen as head boy. In 1886, Leacock started at University College at the University of Toronto, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, but could not continue due to financial difficulties.

He left university to go to take up teaching though he did not like the job much. In 1891, he ventured to earn his degree through part-time studies. During this period his first writing was published in The Varsity, a campus newspaper.

In 1899 he began his studies at the University of Chicago where he received a doctorate in political science and political economy. He then moved to Montreal, Quebec where he became a lecturer and long-time acting head of the political economy department at McGill University. He was closely associated with Sir Arthur Currie, former commander of the Canadian Corps in the Great War and principal of McGill.

During the summer months, he lived at Old Brewery Bay, a working farm. It has now become a museum and National Historic Site. In 1900 Leacock married Beatrix Hamilton. It was in 1915 — after 15 years of marriage — that the couple had their only child, Stephen Lushington Leacock who suffered from a lack of growth hormone and grew to be only four feet tall. His wife died of cancer in 1925.

However, these personal tragedies did not deter Leacock from reagaling his readers with humour of a high order. He too died of cancer in March 1944. Two of his major works: Last Leaves (1945) and The Boy I Left Behind Me (1946) were published posthumously. Great honours were bestowed on him and his memory kept alive.

Although he wrote learned articles and more than sixty books including those related to his field of study, biographies of Mark Twain (1932) and Charles Dickens (1933), he is best remembered for his humorous writing.  His humorous works include Literary Lapses (1910), Nonsense Novels (1911), Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912), Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich (1914), Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy (1915) and My Remarkable Uncle (1942).

My own acquaintance with Leacock’s humorous writing began with the reading of one of his short but delightful pieces entitled: My Lost Dollar. It narrates his numerous and ingenious but futile attempts to recover a dollar that he lent to his friend. In the process the author provides thought provoking and light hearted insights into the issue of borrowing and lending of money.

In order to perpetuate his memory, close friends, colleagues and ardent fans of Stephen Leacock established Leacock Associates in 1946. The Association set up a collection of books, letters and personal items in the Gorilla Public Library in Toronto and commissioned a bronze bust of Leacock.

In 1947, the Stephen Leacock Award was created to recognise the best in Canadian literary humour. In 1969, the centennial of his birth, Canada Post issued a stamp in his honour.  The following year, the Stephen Leacock Centennial Committee had a plaque erected at his English birthplace and a mountain in the Yukon was named after him. A number of buildings and schools in Canada are also named after him. He will be fondly remembered by all who value edifying humour that enlivens our life.

A few quotes of Stephen Leacock:
vThere are two things in ordinary conversation which ordinary people dislike — information and wit.
v What we call creative work, ought not to be called work at all, because it isn’t. I imagine that Thomas Edison never did a day’s work in his last fifty years.
v Personally, I would sooner have written Alice in Wonderland than the whole Encyclopaedia Britannica.
v Many a man in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl.

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Right shoes at the right time

THE only time that I ever used a shoe for a purpose other than its usual was when Junior tried to run away after messing up his sister’s shoe rack. I picked one shoe from the floor and threw it at him. He skilfully bent down and it missed him. There was no need to try again because the boy had already disappeared. In a rather serious case, doing such a thing could mean a terrible insult. Nevertheless, in all other circumstances, I have used shoes only to slip on my feet.

A shoe is an item of footwear. Shoes may vary from simple flip-flops to a complex boot and may have high or low heels but men are strongly advised to leave the high heels to the ladies. I always take time to buy shoes because I know very well that without the right ones, all my well-co-ordinated, well-planned and well-structured outfit would be defeated. Since time immemorial, my determination has constantly been to ensure that all my hard work in expertly colour-co-ordinating never goes to waste.

The typical sandals that go with a ‘dishdasha’ can come in any style. The common white ‘dishdasha’ will match with any colour of sandals but coloured ones have to be matched with their specific colours. There are no exceptions to this rule unless you want to appear funny.

While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometimes be unclear, the common understanding is that a sandal reveals most of the foot. Shoes that go with Western style outfit could be of interest here as well. You should visit my shoe rack to know what I mean.

I have a pair especially for those intellectual formal occasions; some use this kind for a regular day at work. This gentle black pair of shoes is a classic item of footwear to own. There is no other alternative to mix and match with your trousers and suits. It is a type of shoe that goes well with any formal or business outfit. It is believed that the first impression of a business lady on her male counterpart is the type of footwear he is wearing.

In today’s fashion world, brown is the new black. While black is still a classic colour and reserved for formal occasions, brown is an acceptable alternative for occasions that are less modest, yet still proper to slip on your feet into and head to work. The other very important pair of shoes in my shelf is the ankle boot.

This is meant to add to my collection, especially for a change. It’s a functional piece of shoes and you can wear it in various ways. For instance, you can wear your ankle boot with a business suit or a pair of jeans and it will complement both successfully.

Casual wear is an important part of every man’s lifestyle. You can’t look official all the time. So when you’re relaxing on the weekends, chances are you will opt for a pair of jeans or a track suit. When you’re in casual mode, be sure to treat your feet accordingly by including a stylish sneaker to your collection.

Since not every occasion is sneaker-appropriate, you are going to need another type of casual shoe. This one should come in the form of a lace-up with a thin sole. Find one with a shiny structure — one that will look perfect if paired with straight-legged jeans.

Go ahead guys and treat your feet by lining up a neat little row on the floor of your closet or in that beautiful shoe rack. Good luck as you wear your way to success. Have these types of shoes handy and ready to complete your outfit for any occasion that would arise. Just remember, shoes are not made to throw at people!.

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The second wife!

I was sitting with some of my friends and colleagues at a social function, Mr Angry walks in! I stand up and make room for him beside me, at first he refuses to take the seat. He looks around for another place, but all the places are full. He then comes over to my place. He now tries his normal tricks of going for an aggression to get me interested in him, but I have promised myself not to entertain his odd and strange behaviours. Then he says very loud — for the benefits of others so they can all hear him and pay attention to what he was saying to me. He said and repeated himself — You know this guy? You have to be careful what you say to him before you get yourself in the paper on Wednesdays. One corrects him — No on Saturdays. Another still — No — he is now on Sundays. I guess you are not regular reader like me, he says loudly and proudly. Perhaps for my benefit more? Or is it to just upset Mr Angry. He is no taker — he knows too well that people do not like him, but he simply does not care or give a hoot.

He now turns to me, Mr Angry. He says to me — You know what? Why don’t you write on more important things, like the shoe debacle? Or on traffic congestion problems? It is all hell let loose, I do not go out anymore — unless it is absolutely necessary. He stares at me. You can see the wicked crooked smile forming all from the under, but he is keen not to show it. A relative had asked me frankly — Why do you keep with this Mr Angry? Get away from him, put him in his place — and just put a close to it. A closure, he repeats. He is not worth all the hassles — and your wasted efforts and energies.

How do I tell him? That I like Mr Angry? That he is the only person who would come to you, and tell you right in your face of what is wrong with you overall — not just what you write? Then he Mr Angry says to me — You know what? They moved you different days, it won’t be long before they move you completely out for good. Then he gives his famous The Arab and The Camel Story. I have never seen someone so worked up and to chuckle at his own jokes telling stories that he did, but that is Mr Angry for you. Becomes very witty and smart when he puts the jokes and pressures on someone else, especially this public type of person who thinks he is a writer and author (Mr Angry’s own words).

Then he tells all these stories of how his friends have been found out and exposed with having second wives on the secret side. He says — You know? There is this one lady. She goes to a supermarket. Someone asks — Which one? Mr Angry’s way of ignoring the question — as he continues. This lady looks at this young boy of 6- to 8-year-old. She comments to her friend — this boy looks very much like X (her husband). Don’t you agree? He even smiles like him! She follows the boy around. The scared boy goes to his mother. Both women look at each other. The mother of the boy knows the other woman, but the other woman does not! The ‘following woman’ then hides in a corner, but still following mother and child. Then she hears the Mother on the mobile phone (GSM) — calling someone. Guess whom I met just now? — The woman hysterically asks. Your first wife, and she was looking and sizing me up and down. And your son too! Do you think she knows? Of course I am careful, the woman adds — with a big laughter and giggle!

The ‘following woman’ comes and snatches the GSM from the ‘calling woman’. For sure it was X other number. The number he told her was kept just for the office use. Do not use this one, he says to her. For sure he was right; the other woman was surely from the office. And she now realised and knew the sad and bitter truth. She had never expected to have this happen to her. She had always boasted to her friends — My X, even if I saw X in a room alone with another woman, I would never suspect. There had to be a logical explanation of why he was there, but he will always be my man and always remain faithful and loyal to me.

Mr Angry is happy — everyone is now paying attention to him. Very interesting subject for all —especially nowadays! He now turns to me — I expect this story will come out next week? Besides, why don’t you write on such topics? My ardent fan steps in — Yes he did. Not one several articles in his book of the same name and in his column too. If he did — Mr Angry retorts — What are their names? The topics? I do not know he says but I know he did. You are just defending him because you like him — Mr Angry retorts. Mr Angry you are wrong I step in. Read these articles — I say to him — Here Comes The Bride; The New Wife and Exposed! Three of others I did. Send me the articles Mr Angry says to me. You know my e-mail. I say meanly to him — Mr Angry — I have given free books to many, but you Mr Angry have simply got to buy the book — if you want to read these articles — in finality I say to him!

Then he turns to me — You know women that are really afraid and scared now? The married women above 40 years old! And those long married ones! And those really looking for a chance to be wedded in secret? Those still single and crossing 35 years old. Some even younger too, especially the more religious ones and from the Interior. Do you know your great friend and great Mullah (Priest)? He is the one wedding off people to second wives in secret. It is all valid and legal. Only missing is that part of the first wife not knowing, and finding out at the most unexpected, inopportune and unfortunate times. Why unfortunate someone asks. The first wives must be told at least — he adds.

The Priest calls us to order. The wedding celebrations have started. In my mind I try to visualise — how do those getting married to second (or third) wives conduct their marriage ceremonies? It must be to limited trusted reliable witnesses only — and who promise not to tell or expose — even if they knew the first wives too well. That must be a big burden, to keep it all wrapped in, hidden and secret….. perhaps until I see one ceremony? Take Care!

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You can’t solve all your problems

PROBLEM solving can be a skill that some are born with. Unfortunately, many people have trouble handling problems that come up whether serious issues or daily conflicts. Here are a few tricks to thinking your way through everyday problems and issues. Make sure you understand the problem completely. Get as much information as you can in order to make an informed decision about the problem. If the problem doesn't require a decision it's important you still learn as much as you can.

Talk to people in your support group such as friends, family, co-workers, other parents etc. Try to keep emotions out of it and talk facts. Try to remain as practical and fair as possible. Ask questions and get as many details as possible. Find if there is more than one person involved.

Chances are there are always hidden facts and sometimes knowing all the facts will help the problem solve itself. Don't be rushed into sorting through a problem. Think it through and don't be hasty. People will appreciate your careful thought more than a knee jerk reaction. Take time. You may be rushed to make an immediate decision but it's alright to tell them to give you time to make a decision. Tell them you need to think it through.

Make a list of pros and cons. Be honest and ask for feedback on your list from loved ones and co-workers if needed. Evaluate the list. Take quiet time to ponder the facts. A crazy environment is not the most conducive place to sort through a problem. Take a break, find a quiet place free of distractions and think it through. Consider rules, business practice if it's at work, your long term objectives and really if this is a major problem or a minor hassle. Ask yourself what aspects of the problem you really have control over and can influence.

Understand what is and what isn't within your control. Try to take personal feelings out of the equation and look at the facts at hand. Prioritise your list of pros and cons. Realise when you deal with certain problems not everyone will agree. Make a decision and stick to it. Whether this is how to move forward after a difficult time, a solution to your problem, the road to take to solve a problem, or just your state of mind to deal with an issue.

Do what you think is best at the time and you shouldn't regret your position. Take care of yourself. The most important person in difficult situations is you. Make yourself a list of things that need to change. You can't make all your problems go away, but you can learn from them so that the same things don't continue to happen. Realise that there are a lot of people with far worse problems in life. Put your problems in context and you'll make it through your obstacles and know how lucky you are. Not all problems are for you to sort through.

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Oman to host UN’s World
 Summit Award

OMAN is a landing destination of the prestigious World Summit Award Road Show and Digital Oman brings you an update on this global award as well as its role in bridging the digital divide by encouraging good digital content and quality applications online.

UN declaration
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005, linked Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with human development and called on member states to build a global “inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society” through the sharing of information and knowledge. In line with this mission an international digital content competition was organised under the title ‘World Summit Awards’ (WSA).

The award
WSA is a worldwide initiative run by a non-profit group to select and promote the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. WSA was started in 2003 in the framework of the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) as a contribution of the Austrian Government to make a global effort to bridge the digital divide and close the content gap. Over 100 countries are actively involved in this award and around 700 nominations were made for the WSA 2007.

The WSA has been held every two years in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and the current session of the WSA 2009 is on. The two-year duration permits holding content-focused national and international conferences with exhibitions and the WSA road shows to promote the winning entries wider.

Award organisers
The activities of WSA and its global networking are co-ordinated by the WSA Office at the International Centre for New Media (ICNM). ICNM is an independent non-profit organisation chartered in Austria. It aims to promote innovation and creativity in multimedia and Internet by means of best practice selection and showcasing. ICNM projects are supported by the public funding and private sector sponsorship and include the Europrix Multimedia Awards and the Austrian State Prize for Multimedia & e-Business.

Workshop
In preparation for public sector entries for this award, a two-day workshop on eContent was organised by the Information Technology Authority (ITA). This was conducted by Jak Boumans, Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors — World Summit Award. One of the sessions included private sector experts where winning entries for the WSA 2007 were showcased and the selection criteria were presented.

The winning WSA entries can be viewed online at http://www.wsis-award.org/winners/winners.wbp. Efforts for recognising excellence in harnessing IT at the national level are under way and they are led by Fatima al Riyami, Quality Specialist at ITA.

WSA direction
WSA works to strengthen entrepreneurship within content industries and to bring about economic and cultural development through the creative use of ICTs. It supports the UN Millennium Development Goals of ending poverty, hunger and disease, saving the environment and giving a fair share to women. Projects that support these UN goals are considered more favourably.

WSA is an invitation project and a global activity for all who share the understanding of the crucial importance of excellent e-Content creation within the information society. Partners in over 160 UN member states are actively involved in WSA.

Focus on content
The award focuses on quality digital content as the proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies has an economic and social impact worldwide. Digital technologies enable pictures, text and multimedia data to be sent anywhere around the globe and they are more target-oriented.

At the same time, there is need to recognise good contents and quality applications out of the information tsunami online. This quality ensures that they can be reached effortlessly and have a profound impact on larger sections of the community. So the award recognises those who design and develop quality content with creative imagination and sound technical knowhow. A focus on technology at the expense of content clearly results in content gap which also increases the digital divide between those who can benefit from online content/services and those who cannot.

National nominations
e-Content products or ICT applications enter into the WSA through national level e-content contests. The national winners can then be nominated for the international WSA in the eight categories that have been established based on the social impact in everyday life of a world citizen. People from everywhere and every walk of life must have affordable access to quality e-Contents and applications in Health, politics, business, science, education, culture and entertainment to improve their knowledge as well as lifestyle.

The official categories for nominations are as follows:
1. e-Government and Institutions (content or applications providing public administration related services)
2. e-Health and Environment (client-centric solutions for healthcare where stakeholders collaborate, utilising ICT)
3. e-Learning and Education (Serving the needs of learners to acquire knowledge and skills for a complex and globalising world)
4. e-Entertainment and Games (digitised entertainment products and services with interactive platforms)
5. e-Culture and Heritage (content or applications that preserve or present cultural heritage using technology)
6. e-Science and Technology (solutions that foster global collaboration in key areas of science)
7. e-Business and Commerce (content or applications that support optimisation of business processes, creation of new business models in e-commerce and m-commerce, business to business, business to consumers, Internet security and other related areas)
8. e-Inclusion and Participation (solutions that support integration of the global information society; bringing least developed countries and communities into the knowledge society or reducing ‘digital divides’ between technology-empowered and technology-excluded communities)

Timeline
Currently the fourth World Summit Award is open for registrations until January 15, 2009. Nominations must be made through a national focal point and they cannot be entered by the content owners directly through the WSA website.

After finalising the registrations and validating them during January and February, a 7-day expert jury meeting will be held. This jury panel will evaluate all nominated projects and filter their final selection of the top five WSA winners in each category and so at this stage about 40 entries will be considered. In exceptional cases this jury can select projects in any category to be recognised as WSA Special Mentions and Jury Distinctions.

In June 2009, a WSA conference showcasing the cultural diversity and creativity in e-Content will be held with the final nominees. A grand gala award ceremony following this will award the final winners of each category.

Regulations
The award considers only real products and not drafts, demonstrations or unfinished projects. A product can enter the competition only in one category and the producer nominating it must have the copyright of all pictures, sounds, contents etc related to the production of his project. All software used must be licensed.

The interface of the products can be in any of the United Nations official languages. All producer and project information must, however, be in English. In case of multiple submissions by the same organisation, company or team, each product requires a separate registration.

All products to take part in the WSA selection process must be sent by mail by the producers/national experts/contest organisers to the WSA Office in Salzburg, Austria, and arrive no later than January, 31, 2009.  With Oman being one of the top five winners of the e-Inclusion category in the WSA 2007 for the ‘Higher Education Admission System’ (http://www.heac.gov.om/heac_en/), we hope to have many more laurels for the country’s effort in harnessing technology through its projects in e-government, education, health, culture and e-Inclusion categories at the forthcoming WSA 2009. For more details visit http://www.wsis-award.org.

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Will there ever be Peace?

“MY twins, who were 15, were kidnapped but thanks to God, the kidnapper released them when he spotted a police checkpoint on their way. A week later, my husband was kidnapped and we fled for my children’s safety. My husband has yet to be found..,” recalls Asif, a mother of five children and once a pharmacist in Iraq. An interpreter translates for her.

“In 2004, we began receiving letters threatening us with death and physical harm if we didn’t leave. Then my gold store was destroyed and it was impossible to work or feel safe. I gathered whatever was left from my store and fled to Syria. There, none of the Iraqis were allowed to work. There was no job. We were dying a slow death,” says Taleb, an Iraqi Christian, also via a translator.

“My mother gave birth to my little brother under a tree, with the sound of bombs and machine guns blasting, and through it all my brothers and sisters who were small children were crying for her attention,” shudders Wheaton resident Bisharo Amir, 17. Originally from Somalia, she arrived here from Kenya three years ago.

These are the stories of our neighbours in Chicago and the suburbs of Aurora, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Carol Stream and more recently Glendale Heights. They maybe from different parts of the war-torn world — Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq and Myanmar — but they all have one thing in common.

They are all refugees, and have escaped war and imminent violent death. While Syria and Jordan accepted 1.5 million and 750,000 Iraqis respectively, the US accepted a few hundred from 2003-2007. In 2008, the limit on Iraqi refugees was increased to 12,000, making them amongst the most recent arrivals to the US. Resettlement agencies continue to advocate raising that number.

“There are 5.1 million displaced Iraqis inside and outside Iraq, not to mention all those who were murdered,” says Noah Miller who works with US-based Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society, as director of the project’s Direct Aid Initiative (www.directaidiraq.org), and with its news and analysis website Electronic Iraq (http://www.electroniciraq.net/). “To put it in perspective, twice the entire population of Chicago, or one in five Iraqis, have been displaced,” he says. “The war makes it to the newspapers, but like poverty, displacement is noticed only by those who experience it.”

Instances where refugee resettlement has been most successful, he elaborates, is where there has been involvement from the local community, churches, mosques and individual volunteers. “All the resettlement agencies have ways in which the local community can be involved. One person can’t solve the whole crisis but you can impact the situation of one family at least,” says Noah. Volunteers, though, should be prepared to be patient and involved for a long time if they want to make a difference.

Suzanne Elger, of Glen Ellyn, would agree. Parents and school staff at Lincoln Elementary spearheaded the creation of a programme called Community Outreach four years ago, to meet the needs of its refugee and needy children. A list of volunteers provide everything from breakfast snacks to school supplies, backpacks, socks and underwear on an as-needed basis.

Within a year, the initiative had been rolled out to the other three elementary schools in that district, each school rotating their role as “brother’s-keepers” for two months of the academic year. Elger, this year, chairs Community Outreach at Lincoln Elementary. “My son Joey even brags about it. He takes pride in the fact that we help out,” laughs Elger.

In their early days here, African refugees settled in Glen Ellyn would walk to school at dawn in the biting cold, wearing slippers, their mothers clad in thin, traditional, cotton clothing. Helping them assimilate and adjust meant that social workers at Lincoln Elementary visited their homes and even drew pictures of clocks to show the children when it was time to come to school.

In contrast, the Iraqi refugees are primarily well-educated with Masters and PhDs and have urban, middle class backgrounds. Until they master English, and have their credentials evaluated, they are restricted to jobs that the resettlement agencies are primarily aware of — jobs for unskilled workers, often paying minimum wage.

Local parents here are known to carpool the refugee children to park district programming and school events and really get to know them. “When Joey was in third grade he had an African refugee child, AbdiKhadir, who was his friend and came home on play dates. Joey was really, really upset when AbdiKhadir moved out-of-state,” she says.

Marilyn Duszynski, is also of Glen Ellyn, and volunteers nine hours a day, on average, with either the refugee children or their parents. “They looked at a man on stilts, ate cotton candy and were so excited to have their own plate of food,” says Marilyn Duszynski, 56, of a summer outing she took the refugee children on.

“I listen to their wishes, dreams, fears, what’s going on in their lives and I know I have the best time of all.” But, she says, she also insists on personal responsibility. “In the beginning it’s all about feeling these are poor souls and you want to help them. I came to see they were relying on people too much and that wasn’t good for them.”

Her years of volunteering with the refugees, have put her in a position to advise the resettlement agencies on a thing or two. “I’d prefer if the organisations that bring them to these communities, prepare the communities before time. Not just suddenly drop them off,” says Duszynski.

Faith groups, too, have risen to the call. Over the past two years, Faith Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn has became the venue for an inter-faith ESL programme, with both Muslim and Christian tutors for their Muslim and Christian refugee students. Helping Hands Inc of Love Christian Clearing House in Wheaton created English Conversation groups in the refugee women’s homes.

The Islamic Foundation Mosque in Villa Park created a group called Refugee Assistance Programmes while this past September, in the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan, 50 Muslim girls between the ages of eight and 12 who are members of the ‘Girls Club’ and their mothers at the Islamic Centre of Naperville, took on a project to bring 50 laundry baskets of food and personal care products to Myanmarese and Iraqi families.

“I think for our children in particular, who are growing up with so much comfort, this was intriguing at the very least....seeing very basic items being put together in the form of gifts,” says one of the organisers who asked not to be named. “Even though we realise there are people in need in our communities, personal contact with them brings their reality, and all its contrasts with our lives, into focus.”

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA Relief) helped them distribute the baskets as far as Chicago. “After the first two or three homes, it was hard to fight tears as we realised that we needed to do so much more,” she says. This Thanksgiving St Petronille’s Church in Glen Ellyn will be giving Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to ten refugee families. Like area mosques, St Petronille Church and St Paul Lutheran in Wheaton have also helped with rent assistance, driving lessons and car donations.

Several Chicago schools with ethnically diverse populations enlist the help of Changing Worlds (www.changingworlds.org), a Chicago non-profit, that reaches 10,000 children each year. “Students have the opportunity to hear their stories, to write and create art that narrates their histories, their experiences coming to America and living here. For some refugees it’s very painful to talk about their lives and we don’t force them. For others it’s very helpful. They want to tell their stories and they have an opportunity,” says Kay Berkson, Changing Worlds’ Founder.

“One of our exhibits is a collection of stories and photos of people who are immigrants now living in Chicago and many of these are refugees. For refugees, it’s an opportunity to see stories like their own. For others, it helps provide a better understanding of who a refugee is and conveys that all our voices are important,” adds Berkson.

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