‘Yarmouk University students help old street vendor by buying all his goods’

AMMAN — Students from Yarmouk University in Irbid on Sunday bought all the goods sold by an old street vendor near the university’s north gate in an initiative to support him.

The street vendor arrives at the university street in the city of Irbid, some 80km north of Amman and stays there every day from 10am until late in the afternoon, according to students from the university.

“I watched him every day last week, he comes to the same spot and displays all the toys he sells regardless of the weather condition,” student Ibrahim Madhi told The Jordan Times.

A campaign was launched on Saturday on a Facebook group for Irbid residents and it received positive feedback by many students, professors and media outlets, he said.

“Many students asked us how to participate and about the exact location of the old man so that they can help,” Madhi said.

He added that the vendor asked the students about the reason they were buying the toys he sells and they replied that they wanted to buy gifts for orphans on the occasion of the holidays and the New Year.

“We told him it’s for orphans because we didn’t want to hurt his feelings,” Madhi said.

Aya Rbihat, who is also a student at the university, said such acts should be promoted and encouraged.

“The new year is around the corner, we should remember the poor and the ones who built this country and participated in making it successful,” the third-year student added.

“The world is a small place. We can make a difference every day by doing these small acts, we can always lend a hand,” she said.

Many Jordanians shared the photo of the vendor on their personal social media profiles, commending the initiative.