Fashion auction raises funds for people with disabilities

AMMAN — A charity auction held under the patronage of HRH Princess Majda Raad was organised on Friday, with the aim of collecting funds for beneficiaries of Al Hussein Society (AHS).

Jordanian fashion designer Zeina Ali, who was the first and only Jordanian participating in the 2017 Modest Fashion Show in Dubai, donated seven of her creations, which were open to bid by local fashionistas and design lovers.

"I believe that our community will be better if each of us focuses on his/her strengths and uses his/her skills and talents to enable others to discover their strengths. Enabling persons with disabilities to become effective members of our community needs the work of all of us individually," Ali told The Jordan Times at the event, adding, "I am blessed and honoured to be part of AHS efforts in empowering persons with disabilities".

The seven items, presented by anchorman Ahmad Shbeeb, were showcased by renowned Jordanian influencers such as Dana Darwish, Aya Tawil or Suhaila Jabakhanji. 

"We chose social media influencers as they have a great visibility and can help a lot in bringing attention to this cause," said Noor Abdalhadi, one of the event organisers, noting that the show also aimed to raise awareness on the issue of physical disability.

"This auction aligns with the vision that everyone has the potential to help and contribute to society and to others by making use of their work, talent and resources. Each one of us has a form of talent that can be used to help the community at our own scale," she told The Jordan Times at the event.

Voicing her appreciation for all the partners in the auction, Director of AHS/Jordan Centre for training and Inclusion Annie Abu Hanna, said "all that AHS needs right now is support from all parties and organisations because empowering persons with disabilities is the responsibility of all of us and empowering them will be beneficial for all of us".

"We are so thankful to the people who help us continue our work, especially those who worked on the fashion show event which is a creative idea to highlight such an important social issue," she told The Jordan Times.

A non-governmental organisation established in 1971, Al Hussein Society provides rehabilitation and educational services to people with physical challenges and disabilities in order to help them better integrate in a society that welcomes them in open arms, according to its website 

The auction winners expressed their happiness in contributing to the cause, with one of them, TactiX Strategic Consulting director Nour Jabassini, saying that the auction aligned with the overall vision of her company to help AHS through all possible ways.