Jordanian youth creating opportunities, defeating all challenges.
Using digital tools to make a difference
- English
- العربية
Every morning, these three young Jordanians wake up making a choice: to challenge obstacles and to create a better opportunity for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Young people have the power to change the future for the coming generations, as they bring many assets to their communities. They bring creativity, tech knowledge, fresh perspectives, and above all; the determination to live a better life.
Meet these three Jordanians who challenged obstacles and the global pandemic, and relentlessly pursued their goals. Three young Jordanians who chose to wake up every morning to make a difference.
From crocheting toys to repurposing fallen branches for a better environment
The internet can either harm or benefit children, and there is a thin line in between. A large part of which direction children may take falls on the parents and how they guide their children. For Touqa, 13 years old, her family always encouraged her to use the internet as a tool to learn new skills. One day, as she was watching a video of a girl crocheting a toy, Touqa went to her mother asking her to crochet a toy for her, but instead of just agreeing, Touqa’s mother inspired her to learn crocheting, and so she did.
Touqa did not stop at the idea, she actually launched her crochet business. Continuing to use the internet for her own benefit, Touqa navigated her way around the different social media platforms and started marketing her own business. Digital marketing helped her bring in more sales, and now she is a young girl who supports her family – as they split the income.
After practicing many times, Touqa became really good at crocheting toys that she decided to turn her hobby into a business, both her parents supported her and started providing her with all the tools and materials she needed to launch her business, under their supervision.
Touqa, with the help of her father, decided to put this project for the benefit of the community and environment, so when neighbors were pruning trees, Touqa and her father repurposed the fallen branches – which people usually burn – and turned them into houses and furniture for the toys, reducing pollution caused by burning wood next to the trash on the sideroad.
“It feels great to learn to have an income at such a young age and to contribute to the house using my hobby. I feel really good about myself when I give my siblings money and ask them to buy stuff for the house. I got here because my parents encouraged me to keep learning new skills while I focus on my school."
- Touqa
The right to education, the right to a better life.
Putting her own personal plans on hold and dedicating the past 8 years to empowering youth, Lamis, 25 years old, is determined to make a difference through providing better education opportunities for both women and refugees in Jordan. At an early age, Lamis joined different organizations and launched many initiatives that advocated for women’s rights and gender equality. In her current project, she joins hands with other youth activists to create an educational system that accommodates those who are not enrolled in school.
In this educational project, Lamis and other youth activists teach students different courses in addition to equipping them with skills and competencies that prepare them for their transition to college. The students Lamis works with came from different parts of the world to find refuge in Jordan, including Somalia, Sudan, Palestine, and Syria.
Currently, Lamis is campaigning for change on some of the most fundamental human issues: gender equality and access to education, and as part of her campaign, Lamis introduced a program within her educational project where she educates her students on gender equality, to raise awareness about the important role women play in the society and its sustainable development, and what good leaders they can be.
To make sure her project is a success, Lamis created a referral system to connect students - especially women - with trusted organizations to report and talk about abuse, bullying, violence, or any matters of concern.
“Education is hope. But I do not believe in our formal education, I believe in an equal education that shapes personalities and helps students gain practical skills and become problem solvers. Education is everything, especially when delivered to everyone, equally, and in the right form.”
Entertainment redefined for blind children in Jordan
It all started when Aseel, 25 years old, learned that there was a special streaming platform for blind children, but nothing was available in Arabic for the blind children in Jordan. Thinking about her local community, Aseel came up with her own platform “Hawas” – the Arabic word for senses. On this platform, Aseel puts her translation studies to the benefit of her community by providing a detailed audio description for the shows streaming on Hawas, but to make sure that the platform brings families and friends together, she decided to stream the films as videos in HD - not just audio - so other family members can enjoy viewing the shows while their blind children enjoy the audio.
Aseel’s project "Hawas" is a streaming platform for blind children aged between 6 to 15 years old.
During COVID-19 when the world was in lockdown, Aseel worked on crafting her montage and production skills to be able to launch her platform using high-quality video and audio. Her platform is now live!
“I encourage each person who has an idea that benefits our community to pursue their goals. No matter what challenges you may face, always look for solutions and alternatives. Just do not give up, ever!”
Both Touqa and Aseel are winners of Urdon Mubtaker, UNICEF's annual hackathon under its Social Innovation programme. They received a seed fund as well as training on UPSHIFT, UNICEF's social innovation and entrepreneurship curricula.
