WFWP USA meets fundraising goal in a short time to assist the Arabic Literacy Project, supporting refugee children in Jordan
“When a child gains basic education, they keep hope in their future.” ~ Mrs. Fusayo Irikura
Jordan is currently one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in the world, and it is the children that are particularly vulnerable and in need of support. The growing influx of refugees has strained the public school system, with overcrowded classrooms and high drop-out rates, and many children are falling behind. With a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of these children and give them hope for a better future, WFWP Jordan President Fusayo Irikura launched the Arabic Literacy Project five years ago. She has made it her personal mission to provide refugee children aged 8 to 15 with opportunities to receive educational support and develop a good character in a safe and loving environment. Mrs. Irikura is making a tremendous positive impact on these children, giving them a path to realize their full potential.
With the Covid pandemic having disrupted regular schooling, the education provided through this WFWP project is more vital than ever. By teaching them reading comprehension and writing skills, the Arabic Literacy Project ensures children will gain the essential skills to excel in school and beyond. Classes are taught by a group of dedicated university students, who volunteer to tutor the students and provide positive character development (click here to watch the heart-warming testimony of one of these tutors). With a 1 to 5 teacher to student ratio, the classes provide the proper attention each of the students need. Extracurricular activities such as theater, music, sports and service projects are also offered, allowing children to experience joy and express themselves creatively while learning valuable traits such as honesty, cooperation and service.
Thanks to the generous support of donors in the US and elsewhere, WFWP has seen dramatic improvements in the children since the project began five years ago. “They have improved their scholastic ability and character. We have seen less fighting, and, instead, we have seen smiles on their faces,” shared Mrs. Irikura. “Before, the children often played in the streets and resorted to physical violence with each other, creating an unsafe environment. Due to horrible circumstances, they became influenced to smoke, do drugs, and engage in criminal behavior. They never wanted to become thieves, but they were poor and needed to have money to survive...When a child gains basic education, they...keep hope in their future.”
Throughout the month of October, WFWP USA ran a fundraising campaign to support the Arabic Literary Project, and we are proud to report that we exceeded our initial goal and raised over $5000. With your support, Mrs. Irikura will be able to renovate the centers, replace old plastic chairs and tables with new ones, purchase new school materials, and provide stipends to the dedicated tutors.
In the letter below, Mrs. Irikura expressed her thanks to all those who ensured the continued success of this project through their contributions:
Dear WFWP USA,
Many thanks! I cannot find words to express our gratitude to all of you.
Even with our very bad situation of the coronavirus, we open the center for children because they have not gone to school nearly for one year in this year and still cannot go. For poor children, online education is NOT working as they have lots of children in one family and they have only one or two mobile devices and many families do not have internet.
Our center is only the place where they can study in our area. Therefore, we did not close our center. We arranged the schedules to control the number of children, and take care of providing face masks and wash hands often.
Also for teachers who are university students, they need work as they are also from poor families and they are suffering in paying for their tuition each semester. I have been providing a small amount of money for them as they sincerely work for the children.
Sincerely,
Fusayo Irikura
President, WFWP Jordan
If you are interested to learn more about the Arabic Literacy Project or would like to offer a donation, please click here.
