The dual focus of WFWP Jordan: Empowering women and children to build worthy lives

WFWP Jordan was established in 1994 and gained official recognition from the Ministry of Social Development in 1997. Since then, it has been doing a lot of grassroots activities to educate and empower the most vulnerable members of society: women and children in impoverished areas. 

WFWP Jordan opened our own vocational training center for women in the year 2000 in Wadi Seer (near Amman), where many needy families live. However, since 2013 we faced the challenge of receiving less and less women at our center. One of the main reasons is that the young generation of women have a different mentality than the previous generation of women who came to the center to learn many skills and received support for their own businesses through micro financing. The new generation of women buy cheaper things from the markets and show little interest in learning skills and starting their own business.

Thus, I researched again to find out what the most important needs in Jordan are and realized that there is currently a large population of youth and children, and crime rates among these age groups have been increasing.

With a new emphasis to support this population, WFWP moved its center in October 2016 to Al-Zarqa, the second largest city in Jordan and home to many needy children and youth, including several million refugees. Due to the economic situation, it was not possible to maintain two centers and the center in Wadi Seer closed.

Active core women of the old center were very sad about the situation, and would not be deterred. They did not want to stop activities even though there is no WFWP center in the area any more. They took initiative and started searching for a small space with reasonable cost of rent where they could open a WFWP center themselves. It took a long time, but they never gave up on finding a suitable place, until at last they found it in June 2019, nearly three years after the old one had closed.

The reason for their persistence was that they had learned through WFWP activities what is the most important thing in our lives, which is to live for others. Therefore, they could not abandon it.  

Inspired by their heart, I decided to support half the cost of rent every month, and all the rest of the expenses and cost for activities are covered by core members of women. Since July 2019, they have started regular and successful activities.

When they had depended solely on WFWP, they complained from time to time, but now I have not heard any complaining. On the contrary, they always make an effort to have more activities.

The main center in Al-Zarqa has been working well, especially through the Arabic Literacy Program for children in need.

At the beginning, women did not come to this new center as I did not provide them with financial incentives, as other NGOs were doing in order to get more participation in their activities. It took time to change their mentality and teach them what it means to take charge of their own happiness in life. Fortunately, they gradually understood. Now women come to the center in the mornings for their activities and we have classes for children in the afternoons. We are grateful to WFWP USA for their continued support.

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Editor’s Note: Donations collected in the United States in support of the literacy program were recently sent to WFWP Jordan. See WFWP Jordan President Fusayo Irikura’s letter of thanks below.

February 13, 2020

Dear WFWP USA, 

Much gratitude is extended to USA WFWP for your kind donation of $4,000 to WFWP Jordan.

We certainly promise you that WFWP Jordan will continue to serve women and children in an area where many disadvantaged people live.

The donation will be used specifically for the education program for underprivileged children. 

We will also support our excellent volunteer teachers, those who have been tirelessly serving and teaching needy children for many years at the WFWP center.

As I mentioned before, we have many unfortunate children in our country, with very few opportunities at school, in the society and in their families. WFWP Jordan has been working hard to support such children by giving them the education and opportunity to learn and build a positive character. This year, teachers and children have been building a garden because children do not have any place to play in our area, except the streets.

We will continue to give them a good quality education and opportunities so they can build worthy lives for themselves.

We are really very grateful for your generosity.

Thank you very much,

Fusayo Irikura,
WFWP Jordan President