Amazing Jordan

22/02/2020

Mental health is a worrying problem in Jordan too.

Too often overlooked or dismissed, mental health is an issue local communities, especially young people are increasingly aware of.

Nafsyeh is one of the intiatives trying to get rid of the mental health taboo in Jordan, in an interactive and accessible way. Nafsyeh نفسية

http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/mental-health-taboos-tackled-online-show

Global Shapers Amman Hub Ibrahem Adnan Abu Hijleh Dr. Laith Abbadi د. ليث العبادي

AMMAN — Striving to combat prejudices and discrimination against people suffering from mental illnesses, a group of Jordanians launched "Nafsyeh", a series of informative videos that seek to raise awareness on mental health in Jordan.Started about a month ago by Global Shapers Amman Hub, the chann...

19/12/2018

Mental health awareness starts from chilhood!

For parents in Jordan and anyone interested in mental health, anxiety or emotional difficulties faced by , the programme below is a GREAT example of how to use educational tools to teach your young ones to take care of themselves and their peers.

AMMAN — A local organisation is helping young children improve their well-being through storytelling, aiming to develop awareness from an early age.

Existing in 30 countries worldwide, the Zippy's Friends programme (Partnership For Children) was established in Jordanian schools and kindergartens in 2016 under the title “ Labeeb's Friends أصدقاء لبيب".

“When kids go to school, they are usually taught theoretical knowledge or practical skills, but rarely psycho-social aspects of life,” Labeeb’s communication officer, Hiba Ibrahim , explained, stressing that “part of ‘being well’ as a child entails knowing how to communicate whether with your parents, your peers or yourself”.

Ibrahim is the daughter of Amani Attili, a woman who runs the local organisation Umnyat, which provides and training services for schools.

She said that growing up with a mother expert in the field of mental health and education provided her with evidence for the effectiveness of the vision behind Labeeb’s Friends. “Children often do not know how to deal with their emotions, how to recognise them even and it is crucial to help them learn how to identify and communicate them effectively to be able to cope with their anxieties and difficulties, and to develop skills that will help them in all aspects of life,” she told me.

The programme, which is run by Partnership for Children an independent UK charity that promotes children’s mental health and emotional well-being around the world, is tailored to each country through partnerships with local entities such as Jordanian Umnyat.

“We are very careful about taking local specificities into account when designing the programme,” Ibrahim explained, noting that the Jordanian design even differs from the one in Kuwait or the upcoming one in Palestine.

Labeeb’s Friends runs for 24 weeks, with one 45-minute session each week. “Instead of abstracting it as an extra-curricular activity, we integrated Labeeb into the curriculum like any other module,” Ibrahim said, noting that the sessions are “highly engaging and interactive” and “not just passive storytelling”.

Each session begins with the teacher reading part of the story, followed by activities with the children such as drawing, role playing, games, etc, she explained. “We introduce mental health promotion concepts and skills through six modules which follow the stories of several characters going into struggles, emotional problems in a realistic school environment. This is a way to teach children how to learn about their emotions such as anger, jealousy, sadness, while teaching them how to deal with situations such as bullying, loss, change, among many other issues,” she said.

Although the programme focuses on kids' well-being, the work is also including every single member of the child's surroundings, including teachers, parents and peers.

“We sometimes give them activities to do at home to share what they learned with their family. We consider it our duty to raise teachers’ and parents’ awareness about concepts and skills of emotional and social learning, to ensure sustainable benefits for the kids,” Ibrahim underscored.

A coordinator at a school which is part of the programme recalled: “I attended a class where a student was shouting and crying while trying to express her feelings, where another student in the class said : ‘You mustn’t shout, you have to talk in a clear voice if you’re nervous, so we can understand and help you like we learned in Labeeb’.”

Meanwhile, several parents expressed their improved understanding of their children's needs, with a mother saying "I have learned that I need to create times of listening, dialogue and sharing within our family."

So far, the results have been overwhelmingly encouraging, according to Ibrahim, who cited the 2017 annual survey showing that 100% of teachers said Labeeb helped them recognise and support most vulnerable children in the classroom, while 91 per cent said students developed empathy and compassion towards their peers.

For 86% of the teachers involved in Labeeb’s Friends, "a concrete shift happened in terms of conflict resolution and problem solving among ".

Currently implemented in eight schools across Labeeb's Friends is working on expanding its model to reach out to schools in refugee camps, host communities, and the public sector as a whole.

Meanwhile, Attili, who is also the regional coordinator for PartnershipforChildren , is working on expanding the programme to , and in the near future, her daughter explained.

17/12/2018

Some news never get old. My good friend the incredible chef Omar Sartawi completely revolutionised the way we think about food and managed, in the process, to put Jordan on the global map of renown cuisines.

One of his most iconic creations, the JAMEED CHOCOLATE, was launched last winter and has since become a crazy sensation both in and abroad

Here is the very first piece I wrote about him just a year ago

Care for chocolate jameed, anyone?

Local chef gives iconic mansaf ingredient a new life line, and for a good cause

AMMAN — For most Jordanians the iconic mansaf dish cannot be separated from its essential twin ingredient: jameed. However, to the surprise of all, local chef Omar Sartawi gave the salty dried yoghurt a new life through his jameed , launched in celebration of the festive season.

Born from a century-old traditional method of preserving ewe or goat’s milk-turned-yoghurt through shaping, salting and sun-drying, jameed’s stone hard balls have become a symbol of the Jordanian , almost solely used alongside the lamb-based dish.

"It took me more than three months to come up with the final recipe. I went through the weirdest experiments, including one of the recipe that exploded in people's mouth!" Sartawi recalled.

For the Jordanian , creativity is the main ingredient in any recipe. "It is all about taking simple familiar ingredients and giving them a surprising twist — more so — a transformation," he told me at the time, stressing the difficulty of finding the perfect combination between two diametrically opposed flavours.

"I wanted to reconcile two parallel universes: the sourness of jameed and the sweetness of chocolate but, at the beginning, I failed to see the simplest way to do it. I used to try to combine the best culinary techniques for both products and it just wouldn't work," Sartawi said.

"With its unique character, aroma, taste and even after taste, jameed is a very complex material to work with because it kind of overtakes everything," he explained, noting that his goal was to "make jameed exotic for a Jordanian and familiar for a French or Belgian person".

Nevertheless, the local chef is not being naïve about the public opinion of his creation, acknowledging that people "either love it or hate it".

"I don’t like apologetic outcomes in cooking. Cuisine has a spirit and any food has an impact on you. It will either offend your taste buds or make you love it," he noted.

The signature creation, which is part of his new brand “Alchemy”, has indeed stirred mixed reactions on social media since it was launched, with users describing it as “either a miracle or a massacre”.

The odd truffle-like concoction triggered foodies’ interest in Jordan and worldwide, with Jordanian Nadia Abu Mahfouz writing on a Facebook post about the product: “Definitely going to try it! My two favourite flavours combined.”

Others show more scepticism regarding the combination. “I tried it, the after taste was horrible,” wrote Rola Fayyad, adding nonetheless, that “the concept is strange, but I think everyone should try it”.

Available in a stylishly designed gift set, the chocolate’s proceeds are entirely donated to the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and CenterFoundation, as an honour to Sartawi’s aunt.

“My aunt, whom I was very close to, died of cancer two weeks ago, and I wanted to make this brand of chocolate in celebration of her memory, especially for the season,” the young man explained.

Bombarded with orders from Jordanians and foreigners across the globe, the young chef cannot believe the tremendous popular success of his odd concoction.

“People from around the world are asking me to ship some boxes for them. But, because they are all individually handmade, it is a huge amount of work,” he said in-between two orders.

Since, the jameed chocolate box has travelled all over the world, with pics of it chilling on a heavenly beach, studying at Harvard university or visiting the world's Seven Wonders

Follow all of Omar's crazy creations on https://www.instagram.com/omar_sartawi/

15/12/2018

Freezing cold slowly creeping in, remember you have a warm roof over your head, layers of clothes to keep you warm and comfy blankets to hide yourself into.

Others don't have that chance. Think about donating warm clothes, gloves, blankets, anything to help those are not blessed by the same luxury we take for granted.

On your way home, to a restaurant, to a cafe, pass by The Wall of Kindness in front of Landmark Amman Hotel and spend two mn of your time to donate warmth anonymously for an entire winter

Citizens donate clothes anonymously through ' '

AMMAN — A “wall of kindness” last year popped up in front of the Landmark hotel in Jabal , inviting generous souls to donate clothes for the most in need ahead of the season.

“We wanted to find a way for the less fortunate to receive warm winter clothes without feeling the need to ask anyone,” said Layla Al-Qasim head of strategic engagement and sustainability projects at the Landmark.

Designed in the public and free of access area outside of the hotel, the “Wall of Kindness” was inaugurated on the first day of the 2017 rainy season.

“We wanted to see it launched when it first rained in Amman, so that people would feel the need for warm clothes and realise it can be a difficult time for those who do not have these items,” explained Mary Nazzal-Batayneh the founder of the Landmark hotels who initiated the idea.

“People who want to donate clothes can come and deposit them on the hangers attached to the wall. They do it anonymously without anyone knowing. Then, our laundry team at the hotel picks up the clothes, cleans them, folds them, wraps them up and hangs them back so they are available for the recipients, just like brand new items,” Al-Qasim told me then.

Batayneh said that, a week after they launched the project, clothes have been deposited daily, voicing hopes that the phenomenon will keep growing.

“It is not only this specific wall that is important, but the effect it will have, and the ideas it will keep inspiring people,” she continued, noting “we hope this wall will have a small but positive tangible impact on our local community”.

Communicating about the initiative on social media platforms, Al-Qasim stressed that “we also want to reach out to people who do not have access to Internet. We try to spread the word through the radio, word of mouth, newspapers, etc”.

She noted that “since this is aimed to help the less fortunate, we need to find accessible ways for

14/12/2018

With Christmas around the corner, remember that the smallest acts of kindness can brighten some children's lives in ways you can't imagine.

The "Wish Tree" trend was picked up by the ATICO Fakhreldin Group in previous years, allowing customers of several places like Al Qasr Metropole Hotel YoshiJordan or Wild Jordan Center to make a generous gift to children from SOS Children's Villages Jordan

Wish trees brighten less fortunate children’s Christmas

AMMAN — “Wish trees” last year flourished across Amman as an early celebration of the annual Christmas festivities, in the third edition of ATICO Fakhreldin’s solidarity campaign.

Following the success witnessed by the initiative in the previous years, the group renewed its partnership with the SOS Children’s Villages, through which they help less fortunate children and adolescents “make their dreams come true”.

Installed at various locations across Amman, the trees are filled with letters handwritten by young boys and girls from the SOS Children’s Villages from Amman, Irbid and Aqaba, with their hopes and wishes for Christmas, according to Hala Awadallah, fund development and communications coordinator at SOS Villages.

Located at Al Qasr Metropole Hotel, Fakhreldin, Ren Chai and Yoshi, the campaign kept adding more “Wish trees” with a new one installed at the Wild Jordan Centre in Jabal Amman.

Customers who come across the trees can pick an envelope and donate a certain amount of money to help grant the wish of the child and “make a dream come true”, Awadallah told me then.

“The welfare and happiness of our children is enhanced by all these wonderful partnerships that are very important to us. Their position support gives pleasure to the SOS community,” said Reem Atalla Habayeb, SOS Jordan’s chairperson.

Following the campaign, ATICO organised a day of celebrations, during which a dressed up delivered the gifts to the children in the villages.

“These wish trees help put a smile on the children’s faces and make their dreams come true thanks to the generous and charitable offerings from our guests,” an ATICO statement said.

“It is of utmost importance that our children are integrated within the community in a proactive way. Initiatives such as this one contribute to reinforcing the sense of belonging to the community and the country for these children,” Habayeb stressed.

SOS Children’s Villages Jordan was first launched in Amman in 1987 and later expanded to the governorates of Irbid and Aqaba.

A local social development organisation, SOS operates on a family-based model through the support of village mothers, aunts, brothers and sisters who have regular family gatherings, according to its website.

10/12/2018

In those days when you feel like bad overcomes good and that the world is doomed to become a selfish place full of hatred, ignorance and discrimination, take a look at THIS

A small comic book drawn by young talented female artists is showing you the TRUE STORIES of Jordanians and Syrians who have helped each other in the face of adversity.

Their small (or bigger) acts of kindness will show you that it does not take much to make Jordan- and the world- a better place and regain hope for humanity


Graphic novel portrays stories of solidarity between Jordanians, Syrian refugees

AMMAN — Stepping away from the too often negative narrative of the Syrian refugee crisis, a creative campaign was inaugurated on Tuesday evening, under the title “Stories of Solidarity”.

Launched by the INGO Forum (JIF) to showcase the countless acts of solidarity between people impacted by the Syrian crisis in Jordan, the campaign, which is centred around the production of a small graphic novel, brought together emerging artists from Jordan and Syria to explore new ways of narration to promote peace and social cohesion, said JIF Advocacy Coordinator Mathilde Vu.

“This graphic novel seeks to counter the deshumanised narrative that too often opposes refugees to host communities and overshadows what individuals are doing to help one other throughout the Kingdom,” she told The Jordan Times after the event, highlighting the “wonderful atmosphere” felt by participants who also got to taste homemade food made by Sudanese, Somali and Yemeni refugee families supported by the NGO Sawiyan

Through a collaboration with the Comicipate Jordan initiative led by I Dare for Sustainable Development, JIF showcased real life stories of trust, friendship and solidarity that are witnessed daily among host communities, refugees and minorities in Jordan, Vu explained, noting that the six short stories “form a small mosaic of what communities in Jordan have done to support each other”.

At the exhibition opening, Abu Sameer is beaming with pride, standing in front of a representation of “Morning Routine”, the first short story of the book which tells the story of his encounter and inseparable friendship with Abu Omar, a Jordanian tailor who shares his dream of establishing a retirement club in Amman, where they could keep playing checkers against each other.

“Coming to Jordan was very difficult: I had to leave behind my sons and grandchildren, my house, my neigbhours... and I lost my beloved wife, who had been by my side for more than 50 years,” the Syrian refugee recalled, expressing his newfound delight to be leading Luwebdeh’s elder’s community group at HelpAge International Jordan .

“Who would have thought that I could re-start a life here in Jordan at my age? It takes a lot of strength — and support, friends, community,” he highlighted, eager to tell visitors more about what he calls “his new chance at life”.

Meanwhile, Lara, a Syrian who fled in 2012, was here to witness the unveiling of her own story “Jasmine — The invisible supporters making this life a better place”.

She said the graphic novel can help in making people understand that Syrians “are not a burden but useful” to Jordan. “We as Syrians have many talents, ideas and innovations. We can use them to support ourselves and support the country we are in,” she pointed out, referring to her own experience starting a home-based handicrafts business with Jordanian Sana.

Divided into six short tales, the graphic novel was created by three young artists Sara Al Youssef, a 22-year-old Syrian, 28-year-old Jordanian Sara Kilani, and Majdoleen Almfatesh, 20, under the supervision of Suha Ayyash, social marketer at I-Dare

Supported by the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the comic book is available for FREE here http://jordaningoforum.org/2018/10/22/stories-of-solidarity-the-comic-book/

Alix Buck Oxfam Oxfam in the Middle East and North Africa NRC Middle East ActionAid آكشن إيد المنطقة العربية ActionAid Arab Region

06/12/2018

Art project brings colours to Zarqa’s public school

Schoolchildren, local artists partner to create large scale uplifting mural in underprivileged area

PHOTOS BELOW

AMMAN — The schoolchildren of Zarqa last week took part in a radical artistic makeover, whereby they skillfully painted the walls of their local boys school with colourful and uplifting designs co-created with local artists.

Initiated by the community-based public art organisation Artolution, the project aimed to "ignite positive social change" among the local community, by bringing together children, families, local artists and educators through collaborative art making, Artolution co-founder Joel Bergner told me a few months ago.

“In remote areas like this one, young children rarely have access to creative opportunities, due to a lack of funding, structural support, or many other reasons,” Bergner pointed out, noting that, thanks to a partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and Artolution co-founder Max Frieder managed to set up the interactive beautifying project in the eastern governorate.

An artist himself, Bergner said Artolution came out of the belief that “through the process of creating collaborative art, diverse communities can come together in times of conflict and social turmoil to address the challenges they face together and address common social objectives”.

Covering an entire side of the local , the impressive mural displays an intricate mix of portraits, characters and landscapes, all emanating from the imagination of the young pupils involved.

“We started out with a simple workshop where we asked the 50 boys ‘what do you want to paint about?’ showing them how they could be part of something beautiful that would contribute to their community,” Bergner explained, adding that each of the children, aged from 10 to 14, came up with his own ideas and designs.

“It was important for us to portray scenes of their daily lives, as it is their environment we are beautifying. We wanted them to be able to say ‘look, that’s my drawing’ or ‘that’s my uncle’s face’,” the artist underlined, noting that the entire bottom half of the six-metre high mural was painted by the school boys.

“Obviously, the mural was too high and too difficult to be done entirely by non-professionals, which is why we partnered with seven local artists. But the overall idea and all the details were produced by the children,” he underscored.

One of the participating artists, Ibrahim Tonnerieux , said he was drawn to this project because he had “always wanted to do good with my art and this was a great example of using art in changing the world into a better place, at least for a few kids”.

“Unlike other projects, we had a direct connection with the kids and we painted their ideas with their help," he told me in an interview, stressing that "unlike , Zarqa doesn't have a lot of art on its walls it is not really present there. I believe there should be more of it because it really brings positivity into the area”.

Joanna A. Arida, who also volunteered with the project, agreed with Tonnerieux, saying: “It was a really cool way of working with children and helping them to express themselves through art.”

“I think that it’s important to create murals such as this one — especially in — because it encourages children who grow up in traditional communities that might frown upon an artistic career path to invest in any creative or artistic passions that they have,” she told me, exclaiming “I mean, if we could do it, then why not them!”

Building on the trend of street art recently rising in Jordan, the project was only “one of the first stones” on a much bigger path, according to Bergner, who outlined Artolution’s plan to develop sustainable, self-running art projects around the Kingdom, similar to the one currently taking place in camp in collaboration with CARE Jordan

“These projects provide a platform for young people to creatively explore their experiences while connecting with positive adult role models in their community, an important step in the healing process,” Artolution’s founders wrote on their website, adding: “Through Artolution initiatives, young people have the opportunity to make a contribution to their communities, creating colourful, uplifting murals with messages of hope in some of the bleakest environments on earth.”

For Bergner, one of the most powerful moments of these projects comes at the end, when the final piece is unveiled to the local community.

“For kids to see the admiration in the public’s eyes, and adults clap for them is an incredibly moving moment. I was truly impressed by the level of engagement and passion of these boys, and the whole community’s pride,” Bergner concluded.

More amazing projects from Artolution here: https://www.artolution.org/

06/12/2018

Artolution

06/12/2018

With around the corner, it is worthy to be reminded that kids as young as 4 years old have a heart generous enough to dedicate their traditional birthday presents to higher causes.

Read the story of Kareem, 4, and his sisters Jood, 6, and Mia, 9

Children ask for UNRWA donations instead of birthday presents

AMMAN — While children around the world impatiently await their annual birthday celebrations, mostly as an occasion to receive presents, three young Jordanian siblings have selflessly decided to dedicate their entourage's generosity to a cause.

For their birthday this year, Mia, 9, Jood, 6, and Kareem Daoud, 4, asked their friends and family members to get them donations for the UNRWA’s " " campaign, in lieu of traditional presents.

"As soon as they were old enough to understand, we started this tradition of picking a cause for their birthdays, whereby they can make donations to people in need like the students from UNRWA schools this year," said Leen Daoud, the mother of the trio, noting that previous causes included Tkiyet Um Ali تكية ام علي, which provides food and services to the less privileged and Al-Aman Fund For The Future of Orphans صندوق الأمان لمستقبل الأيتامwhich supports orphans over 18 years old to pursue their education after leaving the care system.

"After I read an article about the UNRWA situation, I talked to Kareem, Mia and Jood, explaining how young children like them might not be able to return to school this year," she told me recently, recalling that "they became very interested and started asking thousands of questions like 'why are they refugees?' 'Why can't they go back to school?', etc…"

UNRWA has been facing an unprecedented financial crisis this year, after the US reduced its funding to the agency by $300 million, followed by a decision of complete cancellation of the aid provided to sustain the livelihood of millions of Palestinian refugees.

The deficit has put the education of 122,000 children enrolled in 171 schools around the Kingdom at stake, according to Director of UNRWA Operations in Jordan Roger Davies, who added that the education of around 4,000 young men and women enrolled in two vocational centres and teachers training college are also threatened.

“Because they come from such a big family, my three children are very spoiled and they understand that they are blessed. Imagine if every one of their 20 schoolmates — or 40 in the case of Kareem! — gave them one present for their birthday, it would be way too much!,” Daoud exclaimed, noting that the children have been “deeply involved in the process, and not just doing something their parents forced them to do”.

“They are truly passionate about the cause, asking us questions, learning about it. We also read articles and stories so that they can better understand the issue and start thinking beyond what they already know,” the mother continued, acknowledging that “the keenest to understand is her nine-year-old daughter”.

“I have a lot of friends and colleagues who graduated from these UNRWA schools, so it made it even more personal for the kids, as they could relate to some people around them affected by the cause,” the mother pointed out, stressing that “for me, having them understand and think about the cause is the key to becoming pro-active and making a change in other people’s lives”.

In total, over 100 people showed up to the birthday party, which was organised as a community event where everyone brought one homemade dish and had the opportunity to put whatever amount they wanted to inside the donation box at the entrance.

“Some gave JD20, JD50 and even JD200; it was truly up to them. But, I have to say that people were very generous,” Daoud remembered, citing a total of JD1,500 collected during the party.

The family also gave each invitee a small donation box carrying the account details of the UNRWA campaign, for them to take home and raise even more money for the Palestinian schoolchildren.

According to an UNRWA official, it costs $71 per month to educate a Palestinian refugee, so “a community of givers can truly make a huge difference for our 526,000 students”.

Abdirahman Aynte, UNRWA director of planning and chair of the Dignity is Priceless Campaign said: “We really appreciate the outpouring of support we’ve seen from individual givers like the Daoud family. Their solidarity in the effort to protect education for Palestine refugees is an example for all of our children.”

“Even decades after a child has graduated from school, their basic education can influence their income potential. Therefore, these donations are not merely about this academic year — they are an investment in the future success of dozens of refugee children and the communities in which they live.”

A few days after the birthday, Kareem, Leen and Jood visited the UNRWA HQ-Amman where they were handed out their birthday cheques to the agency officials, hopefully inspiring other children to follow suit.

Nicole Hashem Leen Ali-Hasan
Jarah Alhawamdeh
To learn more and help the Dignity is Priceless campaign, check out https://donate.unrwa.org/

03/12/2018

On the occasion of the International Day for Persons with
, I wanted to share one of 's most encouraging achievements in this regard : the new law on rights of people with disability

Jordan’s law on rights of people with disability recognised at global summit

AMMAN — Jordan’s efforts to improve inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities were recently recognised by the international community, as government officials were invited to participate in the Global Disability Summit 2018 (GDS18) in .

An international event co-hosted by the UK Department for International Development (DFID - UK Department for International Development) and the International Disability Alliance (IDA), the GDS18 aimed at “raising global attention on a long-neglected area, new global and national commitments on disability inclusion and showcasing good practice”, according to the organisers’ website.

“Jordan’s invitation to this summit is a clear sign that we are doing remarkable progress with a noticeable impact in Jordan and the region as a whole,” said Muhannad Azzeh, secretary general of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which he represented at the event, alongside delegations from the ministries of education and social development.

“This invitation is a global recognition of the first inclusive, anti-discriminatory law in the region, which came into force in September 2017, providing a broadened definition of disability and various advancements in the legal, societal and economic fields,” Azzeh told me over the phone, stressing “this is also a proof that our efforts are making a remarkable impact in the region.”

The Jordanian delegation outlined the coordinated efforts of various stakeholders in finalising a 10-year plan to make Jordan fully accessible and inclusive by 2027, as well as recent achievements such as Penal Code amendments which included an aggravating factor for crimes against people with disabilities, or the inclusion of the concept of “informed consent”, which gives citizens with disabilities the right to decide for themselves after receiving enough information about the consequences of each of their decisions.

Deemed by experts as the “most advanced” law in the region, the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stipulates that the government should incorporate the needs and rights of people with disabilities in their programmes and plans, while intensifying the oversight system, especially in disability care centres.

Despite the lack of exact figures, the HCD estimates that 11 to 15 per cent of the population suffers from disabilities, amounting to over 1,100,000 people. Meanwhile, an estimated one billion people have a disability worldwide, of which 800 million live in developing countries, according to DFID.

“In this summit, we were able to shed light on the Kingdom’s commitment to building an inclusive society for all, in coordination with governmental entities; and I believe this invitation proves that the global community recognises how far we’ve come in terms of legal protection of persons with disabilities,” Azzeh said.

He cited the council’s cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development, which helped instutionalise care for people with disabilities, including refugee population; the Ministry of Education, which committed to enhancing inclusive education across all governorates; as well as the ministries of communication and labour and the private sectors, which worked to develop accessible services and locations around the country.

Commenting on the efforts exerted to support Jordan in becoming a society “more inclusive for children with disabilities”, Deputy Representative at UNICEF Jordan Ettie Higgins said “according to the last census, 11 per cent of people in Jordan have functional difficulties and face environmental and societal barriers to their active participation. With the start of the Syrian crisis, Jordan witnessed an increase in the number of people with disabilities and an estimated 30 per cent of Syrian refugees in Jordan have specific physical or intellectual needs”.

“Within any crisis-affected community, children and adults with disabilities are among the most marginalised, yet they often are excluded from humanitarian assistance. This is why UNICEF has been continuously working with its partners, including DFID and the government of Jordan, to ensure that every child can actively participate in society, free of stigma and discrimination, and fulfil their potential,” she told me recently, highlighting the opportunity of the disability summit in reaffirming Jordan’s commitment to all children.

Organised under the title “Beyond immediate needs: ensuring disability inclusion in protracted crises [lessons from Syria and the region]”, the summit aimed to be a “landmark celebration of the achievements and rights of people with disabilities”, and an event that “creates renewed action, partnership and accountability to deliver lasting change for people with disabilities around the world”.

“We want to ensure people with disabilities are consistently and systematically included in international development and humanitarian assistance,” the GDS18 website said, stressing that the summit seeks to “galvanise the global effort to address disability inclusion in the poorest countries in the world and act as the start point for major change on this neglected issue”.

Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities UNESCO Amman Office Aya Aghabi Accessible Jordan - الأردن المهيأ
Sana For Special Individuals