Pongo Serves Syrian Refugees in Europe!
Pongo had a wonderful opportunity to support poetry projects in Amsterdam that serve Syrian and other refugees. The credit goes to an American, Michael Enright, who learned about Pongo at a presentation that Richard Gold gave in North Carolina last May. Michael had previously volunteered with Refugees Welcome Amsterdam and planned to return in August. With energy and skillful planning, Michael brought a wonderful group of international volunteers and refugees from RWA to form PPPAMS (Pongo Poetry Project Amsterdam). It was Richard’s privilege to travel to Amsterdam in September to assist in multiple trainings. A big thanks to Dalia, Bilal, Lowell, Moe, Omar, Bev, and others who are carrying on this work. There are Pongo-inspired projects at two sites, Startblok Riekerhaven (housing for young refugees and young Dutch citizens) and Bijlmerbajes (a former prison that has been converted to a refugee camp). We love this further indication of Pongo’s broad application, that so many people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences can find healing from telling their story.