SOS Children in Jordan
Overview of Jordan
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is in the Middle East, bordered by Saudi Arabia, Israel, Syria and Iraq.
Mostly desert, it has a population of 4.5 million The Jordanian economy is primarily agricultural, with the emphasis on cereal crops, but many basic foodstuffs have to be imported. Its fundamental economic problems are poverty and unemployment, the result of slow economic growth.
Our Work in Jordan
Amman
We began our work in Jordan in 1986 when the first SOS Children's Village opened in the capital, Amman. The Village has twelve family houses and an SOS Nursery which is also open to children from the neighbourhood. Two SOS Youth Homes were set up in 1993 for the older children on the verge of independence. A small farm produces food for the Village and the surplus is sold locally.
Aqaba
A second SOS Children's Village was opened by in 1992 in southern Jordan in the harbour town of Aqaba, in a residential area with a good infrastructure including schools and hospitals. The Village has twelve family houses and an SOS Nursery, which supports 100 children, and is used by children from the surrounding area. Aqaba also has a small farm which supplies the Village with basic foodstuffs.
Irbid
Irbid is in northern Jordan, the country's third largest city and the gateway to Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. The third community was opened in a residential area on the edge of the city, with good nursery schools and schools nearby. It has twelve family houses and an SOS Youth Home for teenage girls, which together are home to over 120 children and young people.
In 2003, SOS Children established an Emergency Relief Programme in Ruwayshid in western Jordan providing food, medicine and temporary accommodation for refugees from the war in neighbouring Iraq.
Life in SOS Children’s Villages Jordan: Always Aiming High
For Massar, 18, last year was all about studying hard. Massar, who lives at the youth house of SOS Children's Village Amman in Jordan, sat the national high school exams in July, earning an 84% average. Her grades have qualified her to study engineering, one of the two fields that Massar had always wanted to get into.
"Our only 'weapon' is our education"
Asked what has made her determined and focused, she says without hesitation, "I did not create my situation or choose to be an orphan; many people look down at people like me because we have been abandoned by our families or have lost our parents. I want to change such views and let them know that abandoned children are not losers and can be high achievers. I want to have a good education, so I can secure a good life for myself and my children in the future. People like us have to work very hard for a good life and no one will help us if we don't help ourselves. This is particularly true for us girls; our only 'weapon' is our education."
The director of SOS Children's Village Amman, Hossam Abou Goab, who has known Massar since 1995, believes in her potential and admires her determination. "When she sets a goal, she works hard to achieve it." The issue he finds to be challenging about Massar though is her constant fear of tomorrow. "Massar has never lived her life day by day; she worries a lot. At the village we have been working hard to help her overcome her fears. Her SOS mother, Fatima, who Massar is very attached to, has given her a lot of support in this regard."
Fatima, who has raised Massar since she was one month old, is a proud mother. "My daughter has always been distinguished in everything she did both at the village and at school. She was always an excellent student and well-behaved. From early childhood on, she used to tell me: 'mom, I have to become a successful and important person'," she says.
Local contact
SOS Children's Villages Association of Jordan
P.O.Box 926405
11190 Amman
Jordan
Tel: +96/26/566 5724
Fax: +96/26/568 8372
e-mail: sosjor@nets.com.jo
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