Even now the UN mandate must be renewed every three years. The UN pays for 100 administrative staff and on every renewal of the budget is reduced. The balance of the budget comes from voluntary contributions from members. I said that last year, Canada failed to contribute.

The major local concern about these camps is that those who the talent, resources and ambition to leave have already done. The rest have given up hope of a legitimate life and are increasingly turning to crime. The army is not allowed to enter the camps, so that criminals can not be brought to justice, unless surrendered by the camp leaders. The risk is that this is a fertile breeding ground for extremists.

Bourj Barajneh is located within the city limits Beirut. It holds 45,000 people. The density is indescribable. The passages through the camp are about 1 meter wide. Without building codes buildings stacked on top of each other. Although it is forbidden to bring in building materials, there is construction everywhere. Improvised electric cables pel mel from house to house. There are no phone wires, but many people have cell phones.

At Bourj Barajneh we were led through the maze until we arrived at a kindergarten. The building was three floors and fifteen minutes after we came to power failed. No one but us took any notice.

The ground floor is damp dark and dingy. In a room 3 meters to 4 meters approximately 25 three year olds come to kindergarten five mornings a week. Maybe it was light, but they seemed wan and listless. When the teacher started the group to lead their spirits picked up considerably. I think given the circumstances I should not have surprised by their low energy levels. I jumped at an invitation to move to the third floor of the five-year-olds watching. It was harrowing to see the sad faces.

On the roof, things were much better. Perhaps it was natural light. More likely it's because this is the RTP veterans three years and they look forward to these sessions as a welcome break. The game this morning focused on social skills. Kids take turns "visiting" and inviting each other to their homes by plastic circles on the floor.

On the way out, someone pointed out that blue arrows on the walls of a supervised. Apparently even the locals can get lost in.

Our next stop was an extraordinary contrast. Led by a wealthy family in the region, local companies financed a school for handicapped Lebanese children. The building is beautiful and on five floors. Ten students in clean, modern classrooms were given strategies to visual and hearing impairments, and other handicaps to overcome.

I asked a student who is visually impaired was what he intended to do when he grew up. He beamed and said he wanted to be a truck driver. Based on what I saw of the directors in Beirut, he was one of their best.

Tonight we cross over into Israel. Or depending on who you are, in Palestine.

The story of the refugee camps in Jordan is not easy to summarize. It begins with the Arab view that Palestine is what we know Israel. The Palestinians who left the area in two rounds (1948 and 1967) did so believing that they would return. In Jordan today, and their descendants, number 3 million or about half of the people who live in this country. About 300,000 live in camps waiting to be told that they can go "home". Some are Jordanian citizens, and some of them can work. Many are not and can not.

Since these camps are "temporarily" they come with restrictions on construction. Housing can not be more than a story has a fixed roof or are served by underground sanitation. The solution is tin roofs held down by concrete blocks and open ditches along the middle of the streets. The camps are open and look like some very poor part of town.

But when you visit schools it does not seem all that different from other schools. It is a bit more crowded even on two shifts per day. The classrooms are a bit small and has a high student teacher ratio but the children did not appear to be malnourished or even poorly dressed. When organized in RTP activities they participate with gusto and enthusiasm.

The game we saw today focused on the concept of littering. Approximately 30 preschool girls were divided into two teams each in a line. Pretend garbage in the form of soft rubber balls were scattered throughout the play yard behind them. The girls were told to clean up trash and throwing it in the neighbors yard was acceptable. When the whistle blew, it looked like the beginning of a war. Each side lifted the SOT balls over your head and into the yard of the other. It was great fun.

When the whistle blew it was obvious that nothing much had changed. His back feet were still full of garbage and it came out in a discussion. To reinforce the point the students were given a banana. They ate silently track then lined up in a single file and discard the shells. It was an impressive show of obedience.

We toured the camp. The adults reflected none of the enthusiasm of the children. They could have used the lesson on the hill their children had just received. There was a market, but given that almost no one has an outside job, the only conclusion that UN support is to keep people from starvation. It was hard not to feel sorry for them as adults and for children, knowing what awaited them after school. It made me realize how important the RTP programs.

This trip is my introduction to the NGO Right to Play. I wont spend much time describing this because the website is quite complete. This trip focuses on Jordan with a side trip to Beirut and a home drive through the occupied territories. Then home via Israel.

Now I'm going to see if I can figure out which picture. Then, group meeting for dinner.

part of the exterior. No other mosque close to matching their magnificence.

There are more photos at the bottom of the page

so as a punishment, there were heavy restrictions on imports of goods relating to the economy and weaken the people.

all of the soap is consumed mainly in Nablus, but there is plenty of soap left unsold to "think to import to England my confidence.

There are more pictures at the bottom of this page