Stress is a common visitor at the Refugee Clinic and it showed itself in numerous fashions depending on numerous factors: how many people could crowd into the office, the bathroom drain overflowing, UNHCR unjustly denying another refugee claim, and constantly disappearing pencils. Well, finally it got to be too much.
Enviornment plays a large role in the way people feel and act. Like most non-profit, social service agencies, at RLAP we do the best we can with what we are given. Well, to put it diplomatically, the physcial space at RLAP was not the most comfortable. As you can see in the picture, one could easily confuse our legal aid office for a psychotic day care to the point where the backs of chairs became wall decorations as they fell apart, one by one.Some things in life we must deal with...other things we can change. This office needed a makeover-- urgently and seriously. So that's exactly what we did. Once again we learned that you can't lose anything by asking! So, in a weekend a team of legal advocates turned painters (I purposefully omit the adjective "professional"). See our progress!
Change, one door frame and one refugee case at a time!
It was an interesting weekend as "US" painting styles, mostly learned by painting dorm rooms, met Iraqi painting techniques as prefered by civil and technology engineers. I can't report that the expertise of engineers dominated the system but it was a good lesson of working together and seeing new ways of doing things.
In Egypt, you don't waste time w/ paint samples, you mix your own shade! Ahmed, Leticia and I work out the perfect pistacchio green!
This used to be that horrid, overstimulating blue room (see 1 picture). Now, Kate calmly and proudly interviews her clients in our "new" office.
It is quite a transformation! Thank you, RLAP team! Love, Dr. Kathy
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