Portland Oregon: Good News About Mustafa
July 19th, 2008 | Posted by Maxine and Ned
Good news! Mustafa and his father have their visa appointment set for July 29th at the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan. Within about three weeks of that appointment (mid to late August!), Mustafa should be in Portland. Mustafa’s first evaluation appointment at Shriner’s is set for August 27th. He and his father will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House at OHSU. We are still working out arrangements for evaluation and treatment of Mustafa’s abdominal injuries.
We are so excited to meet Mustafa and his father and to shower them with a warm and loving Portland welcome.
To begin getting us ready, Geri and David told their 3rd, 4th and 5th graders about Mustafa and the students decorated beautiful posters that they will bring to the Portland airport to welcome Mustafa. The students also created great colorful pictures for Mustafa to hang in his room and an alphabet book with terrific pictures representing the letters of the alphabet. Channel 8 had a photographer at Geri and David’s classes getting footage of the students drawing this amazing art—footage they intend to incorporate into their coverage of Mustafa.
And the Unitarian Church inspires us with their strong and generous support of this project. Half of all the collections the Church took in throughout the month of May have been donated to No More Victims. But that’s not all. An anonymous donor who is a member of the Church matched that entire donation! Thanks for all donations—from churches and individuals. As you recall the money goes to pay for Mustafa’s and his father’s travel expenses. No More Victims also helps to support the family members who are in Iraq–during the time that Mustafa and his father are here.
Ellen is facilitating a writing group—people who want to write about our experiences with Mustafa—a personal journal, possibly writing for a “community book” that chronicles this project, whatever. Whether you see yourself as a writer or not, if you’d like to document any part of this experience, there is opportunity and support to do so. Let us know of your interest and you’re in! Then watch for an email with the time/details for a gathering of all who are interested in writing. Read more about this project below. To contact Ellen about the writing project: ehart@UCSC.edu
If anyone would be interested in helping to organize an event that could be both a community gathering and a fundraising event (music/art??), please let us know. It would be great to take advantage of this nice weather and have some sort of concert or other event…
News of other communities—This week all of us are focusing good and healing thoughts toward Nora, in Portland, Maine and Rusul, in South Carolina. Both young girls are having surgery this week. We also are excited to possibly get a “sister city” relationship with the NMV folks in Portland, Maine.
No More Victims Writing Group—If you would like to write, please join us! Read on…
As we are getting closer to Mustafa’s arrival in Portland, several of us have been thinking about creating a writing group as a part of our NMV project. We are sending this to invite anyone who might be interested in doing some personal writing to join in this new aspect of the Portland project. Please read on if you have the desire to write! No experience necessary!!
Part of the NMV project is what happens to all of us involved—how we grow as a community, our responses to Mustafa’s story and his presence with us, our feelings about war, finding hope, watching a child go through these terrible injuries and come here for healing. Possibly many of us will want to find a means to process many levels of thoughts and feeling as this time goes on (and there has been much work done already in preparing and getting to know one another.)
Here are the kinds of things we have been thinking about:
creative writing—journal writing—process writing—curriculum writing.
Whatever style is inspiring to you—poetry, journaling, photo-journalism to document the initial phases of the project, Mustafa’s arrival and the events and experiences that occur while he and his father are here. In our brainstorming we have considered:
- Our own personal and community development—telling the story through many eyes and voices, recording the history and unfolding of this project
- Using journal writing to record events—from personal stories to chronicling the unfolding of this humanitarian and peace/justice action here in PDX
- Using writing to develop curriculum for various grade levels
- Spreading the word
- Recording the personal benefit this work has for you as a participant, as a conscientious American/human being (worker for peace and justice)
You need not be an experienced writer. If you have the desire to write, please feel free to get involved in this aspect of the project. This is personal writing time—you can always decide to share or not to share what you write. We want this to feel creative and totally safe!
All ages are welcome and encouraged. Youth might want to keep a diary, or draw and accompany drawings with writing about their participation and impressions. All language groups please come and feel free to think about writing in your native language.
Teachers—a special invitation to you if you would like to use writing in the classroom and develop curriculum about the war in Iraq, or war’s effects on children.
If you have an interest in writing about and as a part of the project, please contact us at Ellen’s email ehart@ucsc.edu. We will create an email group list of those interested in personal, creative and curriculum writing. We can then keep up to date with all interested by email and periodic writing get-togethers.
Peace to everyone, and enjoy—thoroughly—the summer!
Maxine & Ned
rofo@teleport.com
[...] the visit, Ellen gave Nora and Afef each an “Ask Me About Mustafa” t-shirt from their chapter. The Portland, Oregon group is waiting for 6-year-old Mustafa Abed, who lost [...]
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm