Local

AMMAN — The government of Italy on Wednesday announced a 1.5-million-euro grant to UNICEF to support implementing “Hajati”, an integrated social protection programme targeting the most vulnerable children in Jordan, a UNICEF statement said. 

The announcement was made during an agreement signing event attended by Italian Ambassador Giovanni Brauzzi and UNICEF’s Representative, Robert Jenkins.

The new contribution will be used to support vulnerable school-aged children, both Syrian and Jordanian, who are out of school or at risk of dropping out of school, to support their enrolment and retention in public schools, the statement said. 

“Hajati” (“my need” in Arabic), is a new social protection programme implemented in the most vulnerable districts across Jordan, which aims to reach 100,000 vulnerable children. The new programme will strengthen the resilience of families through a comprehensive package of social protection services involving cash assistance, case management, and school attendance monitoring, the statement read. 

“UNICEF is very grateful for the generous contribution of the Italian government, which will support families’ resilience and will mitigate negative coping mechanisms directly affecting children’s well-being,” Jenkins said, adding “we continue our commitment to supporting efforts ensuring that every child in Jordan has sustainable access to learning opportunities through formal education”. 

“The Hajati social protection programme will be key to ensuring the most vulnerable children are able to enroll in and attend schools in Jordan. We look forward to our partnership with UNICEF to support this important goal”, Brauzzi noted.

AMMAN — Acting CEO of the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) Mohammad Al Mheirat on Wednesday hosted a signing ceremony for an additional 25 businesses to implement growth action plans as part of the “Accelerate with JEDCO” programme.

The 2.6-million-euro programme is financed by the G7 Deauville Partnership — MENA Transition Fund, through the EIB Facility for the Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) to support the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO).

The businesses were selected on the basis of their high growth potential and their ambition, capacity, capability and opportunity for growth from the 170 firms who applied to join the “Accelerate with JEDCO” programme in the third round, JEDCO said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

The 25 businesses were drawn from a wide range of industrial and services sectors and from Irbid, Mafraq, Zarqa, Aqaba and Amman governorates. 

JEDCO’s business growth managers will now work with these client businesses to assist them in the implementation of their growth action plans through accessing specialist support from within JEDCO and more widely from other government and donor programmes. The assistance that the SME participants will receive is bespoke, with the package of support focused on the specific needs of the business, the statement said.

The 25 firms participating in the programme over the period of the plans project an increase in sales of 22 per cent and the creation of over 409 new jobs. 

“The importance of small and medium businesses to the Jordanian economy cannot be overestimated, 99 per cent of all employers are SMEs, and 52 per cent of the private sector workforce makes its living within the SME segment,” Mheirat said, adding “SMEs also account for virtually all of the net new jobs in Jordan, and provide 96 per cent of all goods exported from the country. Small businesses have a huge amount to offer. They are agile and create jobs faster and in larger numbers than any other kind of organisation can.”

Seventy five businesses have joined the “Accelerate with JEDCO” programme during the 3 rounds, he noted, stressing the “significant impact of the assistance on the businesses”.

AMMAN — The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF) started receiving submissions for the 12th AHSF Award for Children’s Literature, with the deadline set for the end of March, an AHSF statement said.

The JD18,000 award is given annually to the top three works in the categories of stories, poems, novels, or plays. The first place winner receives JD10,000, while the second is awarded JD5,000 and the third JD3,000.

This year’s award requires the story to be for children aged between 8 and 12 years old, in standard Arabic and without graphics. Award Secretary Abdulrahman Masri pointed that the AHSF aimed the award at the age group 8-12 for the impact this group has on creative literature.

The AHSF Award for Children’s Literature was established in 2006 to help develop linguistic skills and achieve creativity and promote literacy in children. 

AMMAN — Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) on Wednesday launched “Fazet Ahel”, a campaign to raise donations to fund the renovation of houses of underprivileged families across Jordan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

JEA President Majed Tabbaa said that the principle of social responsibility obliges society institutions to support the association in serving the local community.

He pointed that the campaign is a simple contribution from the association to support those in need. The association will receive donations at its headquarters in Amman, its branches in the governorates and over the phone through Husna FM radio station numbers.

Money can also be deposited on its bank account, number 25145 Jordan Islamic Bank-Shmeisani Branch.

AMMAN — President of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) Mashhoor Al Refai on Wednesday met with a joint academic delegation from Canada and the US, and discussed ways in which joint cooperation in the field of entrepreneurship could help provide youth with a nurturing and supportive environment that would empower them and their initiatives.

The delegation included Randall Howard, general partner at VERDEXUS and a representative of the University of Toronto and two founding members of Singularity University: Brad Templeton, founder of ClariNet, chairman emeritus of Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Kathryn Myronuk, Faculty for Synthesis and Convergence, a PSUT statement said.

The meeting, which was attended by the deans of the colleges and Executive Director of Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) Abdelraheem Abul Basal. Refai expressed his pride in the collaboration, which serves to open many doors in the field of entrepreneurship and in the evolution of pioneering ideas into tangible projects.

The delegation then visited the University where they were briefed on the importance of encouraging innovation and stimulating youth-led entrepreneurship.

AMMAN — Prime Minster Hani Mulki has stressed during a lecture at the Royal Jordanian National Defence College that Jordan strongly condemns US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.

The premier said that the decision violates international legitimacy resolutions, which assert that Jerusalem is an occupied city, and that all measures taken by Israel in Jerusalem since its occupation in 1967 are null and void politically and legally, adding that this decision undermines prospects for resuming peace negotiations.

Mulki stressed that the failure to achieve justice in Palestine will not only undermine the security and stability of the region, but will also spread frustration and anxiety, which promotes the negative atmosphere suitable for terrorism and extremism. 

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Wednesday visited the Royal Medical Services (RMS), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Freihat was received by RMS Director General Maj. Gen. Muin Habashneh who briefed him on future plans of development, medical achievements and the work mechanism of the RMS.

Also on Wednesday, Freihat received a Kuwaiti military delegation headed by Maj. Gen. Faleh Faleh. During the meeting, which was attended by the Kuwaiti military attache in Amman, the two men discussed aspects of cooperation, joint coordination and means of enhancing bilateral relations to serve the interest of both armies.

AMMAN — The new political alliance “Civil Alliance” will be launched on Friday, comprising politicians, academics, journalists, activists and people interested in a democratic civil alliance, according to a statement by the Civil Alliance.

The alliance said their launch on Friday is the first realistic practical step for them to move towards further democratic development, according to their Facebook page. 

AMMAN — Drug abuse in the Kingdom decreased by 12.5 per cent in 2017 compared with 2016, Anti-Narcotics Department Director Brig. Gen. Anwar Tarawneh said on Wednesday.

During a meeting organised by the family and childhood protection society, Tarawneh attributed the decrease to the joint efforts of public and private institutions in raising awareness against the dangers of such addictions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He noted that drug abuse among school and university students in 2017 went down by 61.5 per cent, compared to the rate registered in 2016.

He also said that 95 per cent of the drugs seized this year were prepared for smuggling outside the Kingdom. 

AMMAN — HRH Princess Rahma on Wednesday attended a visual show of projects by architectural engineering students of Petra University.

The projects aim at shedding light on urban problems and offering solutions to solve them, while developing the urban environment and increasing the green areas, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh commended the efforts of the “Green Amman 2020” project’s committee in increasing the green areas in Amman and the university’s efforts in providing innovative solutions.