Volunteers seek to lend helping hand to sanitation workers

AMMAN — Some 30 volunteers gathered to clean the Shmeisani area earlier this week as part of “Be Their Assistance” initiative, which aims to support sanitation workers.

Organised by Creative Care nonprofit organisation, the initiative took place for the first time on April 5 in Sweileh, and it seeks to target different areas in Amman. 

“Everyone wants to change things for the best, and real change always comes when you start it yourself. We are part of this society so we have to see and feel what its needs are,” initiative founder Eman Jaber told The Jordan Times. 

“One day a friend of mine, Basel Saeed, came to me complaining that he saw a guy picking on a street cleaner, and this is where the idea of this initiative came from, so we started to plan for the event right away,” the 25-year-old added.

“Our charity work is supported by the community. Their free time is all we ask for. Also, the Greater Amman Municipality has been such a big help with this initiative, giving us ideas and providing us with cleaners’ uniforms,” Jaber said. 

According to organisers, the campaign uses social media to announce activities and spread the word.

“Our main goal is to highlight the vital role sanitation workers play in our society, and also to help keep our cities clean and healthy. We hope that such initiatives can help others see that as well,” said Jaber, who works as a 3D artist in a production company. 

“Our vision aims to change the way people think about volunteering. It does not always have to be by collecting and giving money. We believe that giving time and effort is also important and can make a difference,” she said. 

Ala Kazkaz, one of the volunteers, pointed out that each and every member of the community should be responsible for keeping the streets clean one way or the other by — for example — not littering.   

“In the past couple of weeks we joined sanitation workers to help them clean Amman’s streets. These men should not be treated in a demeaning way because of their uniforms,” the 24-year-old said.  

For volunteer Sarah Abdel Haq, helping sanitation workers has been a new experience.

“Volunteering has always been fulfilling to me but this time it was totally different. The idea grabbed my attention as these workers have always been neglected and sometimes even humiliated. So we tried to give them back a bit of the respect and appreciation that they actually deserve,” she said.