NGO brings less privileged children to Amman for their ‘first meal in the capital’

AMMAN — Over 3,000 children from unprivileged areas across the Kingdom are enjoying their first Iftar (Ramadan fast-breaking meal) in the capital through an initiative run by NGO Wojoud for Empowering Civil Society, which gathers thousands of orphans and children with disabilities annually during the holy month of Ramadan. 

Running through June 10, the “Iftar for Orphans” initiative brings together Wojoud’s team and volunteers with Barcelona Restaurant’s staff who give children the chance to attend an evening of games, dance and food in the company of other children. 

“We started implementing this initiative 10 years ago and we used to simply deliver food to the children’s homes but, later, we decided to start inviting them to a big celebration in Amman,” General Manager of Wojoud Kholoud Faraj told The Jordan Times, highlighting that “many of the children in the initiative have never been to Amman and some of them have not even tried a burger until now so it is incredibly rewarding to see the smile on their faces after they come here”.

“This initiative complements other campaigns we run during Ramadan,” the activist continued, explaining that Wojoud’s team works throughout the month to deliver food boxes to a total of 500 families, in addition to clothing and school material. 

Marwan, one of the volunteers, said: “It has been a couple of years since I started participating in these events, and seeing the children happy and enjoying their time is what you end up taking home with you. When you play games with the children, you are also teaching them a life lesson, and that reflects on the confidence that they gain.”

“I can’t stress enough the importance of making all children feel loved and important, letting them know that they are not different from one another,” Marwan added. 

But the impact of the initiative goes beyond its effect on the children according to speech impaired volunteer Odai Mohammad Ziad, who shared with The Jordan Times the way in which experiences like this have empowered him to make a change in the community. 

 “My volunteering experience started several years ago, when the company I was working for asked me to reach out to a centre for children with special needs to start a project with them,” Odai said, recalling how the target centre was the same that “gave up” on him when he was a child. 

“I went there and I told them: When my mother brought me to you years ago, you said I would not be able to speak, but I learned how to do it, and now, I want to start collaborating with you to show you how change is possible,” the volunteer recounted. 

“I faced a lot of issues back in school and, by the age of 8, they wanted to register me in a centre for children with disabilities. But the issue with such institutions is that they do not provide you with an official education allowing you to eventually attend college, and I did not want to be different,” Odai remembered, expressing how he felt “responsible to speak up for all other children with disabilities in Jordan”.

Odai’s recent journey at Wojoud has inspired him to “integrate all children and make them feel included”. Now, his dream is to start an association aimed at “protecting persons with disabilities, and work strategically to find better ways to educate them and let them pursue their dreams like any other child”. 

 “We are all the same and motivation can break any barriers,” Odai concluded, calling on institutions to “provide better opportunities for persons with disabilities, because we are capable of anything if you treat us like one another”.