Working With The UN in Jordan

I hadn't worked with international aid agencies since my days in Yemen, some twenty plus years ago. While there, I interacted with several international entities, and my experiences weren’t very positive. As a matter of fact, If it had been for these respected groups, I never would have worked internationally again.
I was living in an Eritrean refugee camp, teaching English, helping another Peace Corps Volunteer build a school, and doing some medical work (mostly rehydration therapy). One agency had put the camp doctor into a difficult position with the local Yemenis, and he was eventually arrested and deported leaving me to do healthcare (I had a medical book). They then had the wonderful idea of buying the refugees a refrigerated truck so that these fishermen could catch fish and take them to market. The agency never coordinated with the Yemeni government, and the truck never got licensed. It sat in the middle of the camp for the two years I was there as a defacto jungle gym for the kids.
The second group I had to work with was more vexing however. The office in the capital was staffed by some European party animals that interacted mostly at expat parties. They seldom visited the camp, and occasionally sent some directive that was ignored. One such order was that I was to remove myself from the camp, as I did not have their clearance. The elders told me to just wait, and that the folks in the main office would soon forget - they did, probably the effects of alcohol and drugs. It really left a bad taste in my mouth watching these esteemed agencies ignore or manipulate the refugees they pretended to serve. I chalked it up to my naiveté and went about my business.
It would be a few decades before my faith in international aid agencies would be restored. It happened when I visited two Palestinian refugee camps; one in Jerusalem, one in Jordan.
Working with a US philanthropic organization, I contacted officials in Jerusalem and Amman offering to provide their schools with free educational resources. I was amazed at the cooperation I received, and at the level of caring and expertise of the people I worked with. Yeah, the bureaucracy was probably as convoluted as those I had previously experienced, but this organization - The United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) knew how to put the right people "on the ground" where it counted. From the lower level administration to the supervisors and most of the local teachers, I worked with some of the most committed and talented people I have ever met.
The situation in Palestine and Jordan is not pleasant, and the conditions these people work in are far from ideal. Yet their positive nature and real desire to help students transcends their circumstances. At every school and site I visited, I met scores of teachers and administrators I would be proud to work with anywhere. I didn't see the prevalent dissatisfaction and disaffection I experience in so many schools here in the US, nor did I see the self-serving ideologies that have developed amongst the teacher groups here in America. I did see people making very meager salaries, doing a great deal of work, focusing on the welfare of their students. Very humbling indeed.
I worked with a few key administrators who were fantastic. They were very passionate about their work, and I could see the effect their enthusiasm had on the teachers they worked with. Most importantly, they treated the teachers with dignity and respect, something I have not always enjoyed from my superiors. I have had many long discussions about teaching and philosophy with these folks and have been very amazed. Despite the fact that they are grossly under compensated, God got it right when he put them into their roles!
Before you protest, I am not romanticizing these educators, administrators, or the organization either. There were some who were detached, unhappy, maybe even a bit dissident. There might have been a few administrators that weren’t always helpful, but that was the exception not the rule. The difference is that they didn't come to infect the larger groups - they were ignored and minimized. The worst experience I had doing hundreds of hours of workshops was silence from a handful of teachers. My typical experience was working with excited, intelligent, and informed educators who were willing to process their experiences and entertain new possibilities to improve their pedagogy. An ideal place for someone like me.
I can't express my respect for these teachers and supervisors, nor my admiration for the work they do facing bleak circumstances. I can say that I am very proud to be associated with them, and that I pray that my two daughters find these kind of leaders as they continue their education.