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Save the Children Launches Two New Programs for Youth in Middle East
Jordan Times Reports on New Youth Programs
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| King Abdullah II of Jordan and Charles MacCormack |
Amman, Jordan (October 31, 2005) — Save the Children USA announced today a major expansion of its efforts to engage youth and teenagers throughout the Middle East in community-based development programs.
At a ceremony attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, Save the Children USA President and CEO Charles MacCormack announced the launch of two new regional programs – “NASEEJ” & “NAJAH” – calling them “an important next step in our continuing efforts to help teenagers and young adults determine their own futures.”
Earlier in the day, His Majesty King Abdullah II met with MacCormack and Dennis Walto, Save the children Field Office Director for Jordan and Lebanon, to discuss the new NASEEJ and NAJAH programs, the latest initiatives in the organization’s twenty years of work in Jordan.(See statement on meeting.)
At the evening ceremony, held at the Intercontinental Jordan Hotel, Save the Children in partnership with Timberland, hosted “Mubadarat Shababeya,” an event that featured a youth performance (RISE!) representing the challenges and hopes of young people becoming positive agents of change in their communities.
“With more than 60 percent of the region’s population under the age of 24, we recognize the importance of assisting teenagers and young adults in getting the education and training they need to realize their dreams,” MacCormack said. “These new programs are designed to help create the ‘Culture of Hope’ that King Abdullah and Queen Rania are working so hard to realize,” he said.
Save the Children USA currently operates two youth initiatives – INJAZ & the Youth Leadership Project – both focused on assisting Jordanian youth. The new regional initiatives would expand these efforts to thousands of teenagers and young adults in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank and Gaza and Yemen, with Jordan serving as the hub for these activities.
The NASEEJ Program, a Regional Community Youth Development Initiative, will be implemented by Save the Children USA in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank and Gaza and Yemen over the next two years. It is supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation, a pioneer in youth development throughout the region.
“There is no question that teenagers and young adults will play critical roles in shaping the future of the Middle East,” said Barry Gaberman, Senior Vice President of the Ford Foundation, who attended the launch event. “These programs offer young people the opportunity to make critical decisions about their own communities now, not just in the future.”
Jordan is to be both the regional hub of the NASEEJ Program and the pilot country for NAJAH, a new youth employment initiative supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “Building youth life and work skills and linking them to available employment here in Jordan will enable youth to contribute to national development,” said United States Ambassador to Jordan John Hale, “USAID looks forward to the success of NAJAH and the engagement of youth from poorer backgrounds as active members of civil society.” NAJAH, supported by USAID as part of the Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy program, will be implemented by Save the Children USA in targeted communities throughout the Kingdom over the next 30 months.
INJAZ, the Jordanian Regional Youth Initiative funded by USAID, was also highlighted. “INJAZ continues to improve youth opportunities by linking them with the private sector and encouraging their entrepreneurship,” said Deema Bibi, Executive Director of INJAZ. “So far, INJAZ has reached more than 40,000 Jordanian students ages 12-24 in Schools and Universities throughout the Kingdom.” INJAZ, which was initiated as a project of Save the Children USA with the support of USAID in 1999, has recently registered as a private shareholding company in Jordan and continues to prepare youth for today’s economy via job fairs, internship programs, and direct participation of the private sector in public school and university classrooms. INJAZ and Save the Children USA retain a strategic alliance and joint implementation partnership.
“By building youth capacities at the community level, we are fostering a more enabling environment that offers young people the space and opportunities to effectively participate in local development,” said John T. Holmes, Canadian Ambassador to Jordan. "The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives is proud to support the Youth Leadership Project, which has trained more than 300 youth from 19 different community organizations throughout Jordan.” The Youth Leadership Project additionally was the source of actors for the dramatic performance of “RISE!”
Dennis Walto, Save the Children’s Field Office Director for Jordan and Lebanon and overall administrator for the NASEEJ Regional Initiative said, “The next two years will be an exciting time in Jordan and throughout the region. We are looking forward to working with youth, our government partners and the private sector to together improve the lives of children, youth and families here in the region.” Walto also mentioned that the event itself demonstrated the potential of collaboration. “Tonight’s event is a youth development and partnership model: the programs are being implemented through the support of our donor partners The Canada Fund, Ford Foundation and USAID. The event itself is a joint production of Save the Children, youth themselves and the private sector support of Timberland. It’s a winning team.”
