KAFD announces winners of community service award

AMMAN — King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) on Wednesday announced the second round of winners of an initiative aimed to support creative individuals involved in community service.

His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania, attended the award ceremony.

A total of 105 young Jordanians from across the country aged from 16-35 years were announced winners for enterprises they have implemented to serve their local communities.

The awards are part of the Youth Empowerment Windows Initiative, which is part of the Democratic Empowerment Programme “Demoqrati” launched by His Majesty.

Five civil society organisations were also among the winners of the second round of the programme.

The winning projects were recognised for implementing ideas to enhance a culture of dialogue, acceptance of others and productivity.

In an address at the ceremony, Chairman of KAFD’s Board of Trustees Imad Fakhoury outlined the fund’s achievements and projects.

Fakhoury also introduced projects that will be implemented this year, under the third round of the initiative.

He said the winners of the King Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement, which seeks to honour the efforts of Arab youths in achieving positive change, and solutions to the challenges and needs of their communities, will be announced in the last quarter of this year.

Fakhoury said the fund’s programmes impacted 135,000 young persons and created 500,000 opportunities that helped in enhancing voluntary work, adding that the fund will work with different stakeholders to establish development projects to alleviate poverty and unemployment.

A documentary was screened during the event highlighting the success stories of many Jordanians that benefitted from the fund’s programmes.

Following the ceremony, Queen Rania toured the fund’s annual exhibition held on the sidelines of the ceremony. Several products, projects and initiatives were on display in the exhibition.

Launched by the King in 2013, Demoqrati is founded on development-boosting values such as the rule of the law, rejection of violence, acceptance of others, dialogue and accountability.

It is also meant to stimulate civil society institutions to play their role as a key supporter of citizens and issues of concern to the public.

The programme seeks to engage all segments of society, especially youths, in building a conscious democratic culture and facilitate exercising it through democratic institutions and supportive civil society organisations, based on confidence in the country’s ability to make change and progress in its development process, according to KAFD.

At a press conference, Fakhoury announced the award programme’s results and the launch of a new award, under the name “Jordan Store” for the best local product design. 

He said the fund paves the way for young people to be creative, adding that the new award encourages further creativity and innovation by stimulating the young to draw designs of products that reflect the country’s traditions and heritage. 

The traditional products presented with a modern style will carry the trademark “Urdun”, he noted.

The official also highlighted the various programmes that the fund supports, in which thousands of young Jordanians took part last year.

These include voluntary, training and capacity-building programmes. 

Through its activities, the fund has helped in combating the problems of poverty and unemployment, in implementation of His Majesty’s directives, Fakhoury told the press.