Research centre launches digital platform to mark Arab Orphans Day

AMMAN — The King Hussein Foundation’s Information and Research Centre (IRCKHF) recently participated in “SANAD”, the first regional conference on aftercare for orphaned youth, where it launched a digital platform to provide those youth with practical information while also sharing their stories.

The conference was held in Cairo under the patronage of the League of Arab States and the Egyptian ministry of social solidarity, and it was organised by the Wataneya Society for the Development of Orphanages. The event coincided with Arab Orphan’s Day, which is commemorated regionally on the first Friday of April.

During the event, the IRCKHF launched “Al Bedaya”, (“The Beginning” in English), which is a digital platform created in collaboration with DATA4CHANGE, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The platform is a data-driven digital campaign that aims to empower youth deprived of family ties through practical information whilst also raising awareness about their experiences, according to the statement.

The conference brought together those who had left the care of orphanages, experts and organisations to exchange experiences and shed light on the how best to support and integrate people leaving orphanages into society. The meeting gave the 50 “care leavers” a platform to have their voices heard and for participants to learn from their personal experiences, according to the statement.

During the event, the IRCKHF spoke about their three-year project called “Empowering Care Leavers in Jordan”, which sought to address discrimination facing one of Jordan’s most vulnerable groups — youth deprived of family ties.

At SANAD, the IRCKHF focused on the Social Support Network for Care Leavers, launched in 2018, and its advocacy work to change discriminatory names given to youth deprived of family ties. Other members of the Jordanian network also participated at the event, including the Sakeena Association and the Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans, as well as assistant professor of social work at the German Jordanian University, Rawan Ibrahim, the statement said.