CSOs, King Hussein Foundation Research Centre partner to empower care leavers

AMMAN — The Information and Research Centre — King Hussein Foundation (IRCKHF) and six civil society organisations (CSOs) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Social Support Network for Care Leavers in Jordan, a IRCKHF statement said.

Established in coordination with the Ministry of Social Development, advisers in the field of alternative care and inputs from a group of care leavers, the network was founded by IRCKHF in 2016 through the project “Accessible Support for Care Leavers” with a grant from the USAID Civic Initiatives Support Programme.

The network includes six CSOs, NGOs and national institutions in the field, including Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans, Sakeena for Empowering Orphans, the Justice Centre for Legal Aid, SOS Children's Village in Jordan, Institute for Family Health — Noor Al Hussein Foundation, and Mizan, according to the statement. 

IRCKHF Director Dr Aida Essaid said: “It is our responsibility as civil society organisations to address this issue so that, upon becoming care leavers, orphans are empowered and able to integrate into our society.” 

She said she believes the memorandum, which was signed on the Arab Orphans Day, will strengthen the cooperation, partnership and coordination among the network members to support orphans, voicing hope that the provision of integrated services will not only empower care leavers but also enhance their participation in public life, the statement read.

"Challenges faced by the entities working directly with this group of society require all these organisations’ and individuals’ participation. Without a true partnership, and despite all their efforts, CSOs will never reach their desired objective. Being an orphan is not a temporary issue that can be ‘fixed’, it is a situation that affects individual from childhood to all future stages of their lives,” Ibrahim Al Ahmad, Al Aman Fund’s executive director, stated.