AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday stressed the importance of building a stronger sense of responsibility towards society and the country, noting that citizenship is about what a person gives to his country and not what he or she expects from it.
The King made the remarks during a meeting, attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania, with young Jordanian men and women who have achieved success in their respective walks of life, with their stories seen as the embodiment of “good citizenship”, a Royal Court statement said.
“Each one of you represents a Jordanian story of success and this is proof of the outstanding capabilities the Jordanian people enjoy,” the King told honourees, applauding their achievements.
During the meeting that was held at Al Husseiniya Palace, the King described the Jordanian entrepreneurs who have brought about a positive change to society as “creative role models for the young generation to follow”.
He said that they managed to help themselves and are also capable of helping others to go in the right direction, according to the statement.
The King commended the entrepreneurs’ achievements saying their accomplishments attest to their ability to give rather than to take.
“ I know that the road you took was full of challenges, but your sense of responsibility and good citizenship was a bigger motivation to achieve your goals,” the King said, noting that hopes are pinned on them and on their fellow young men and women to build and develop the country in all fields.
King Abdullah highlighted the valuable human capital that Jordan has, despite its limited natural resources.
The King expressed the readiness of the state’s different institutions, including the Royal Court, to offer all they can to empower the next generation, especially young people in remote areas.
At the meeting, Queen Rania lauded the spirit of leadership and entrepreneurship the participants have exhibited, reiterating that they represent role models for the country’s young people in unleashing their potential by creating a positive change in society.
The attendees expressed their appreciation of Their Majesties, noting that their support gives them the incentive to exert more diligent efforts in their business and projects.
Briefing Their Majesties on their projects and achievements, Shaima Al Bishtawi explained how she teamed up with her brother, Mohammad, and established a company called “Alhodhud” which focused on creating Arabic educational and entertaining curriculum for schoolchildren.
Rawan Barakat, a visually impaired social activist highlighted how she pursued voluntary work and taught children how to express themselves through theatre and acting.
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Jordanian success stories
The following are short bios of young Jordanian entrepreneurs who met with Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania on Sunday. The bios were posted on the official social media pages of the Royal Court.
Rawan Barakat
A visually impaired social activist who graduated from the University of Jordan’s Theater and Drama program, Rawan pursued voluntary work and taught children how to express themselves through theater and acting. Her experience inspired her to start her own initiative called ‘Raneen’ in 2005, which creates audio-stories for children between the ages of 5 and 16 in Arabic that enhances their hearing and listening skills. Rawan received the King Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement in 2009, which turned ‘Raneen’ from a personal initiative into a non-profit organization that aims to create the largest audio library for children stories in Arabic.
Doha Abdelkhaleq
Doha is an entrepreneur and an active member of several national committees and forums that focus on ICT, law, women and entrepreneurship. She is a co-founder of ESKAEDNIA Software that employs over 200 Jordanians and became the first IT Company in Jordan that received the United Nations Gender Equity Seal in the working place and several other international honors.
Mohammad Al Bashtawi & Shaima Al Bishtawi
A young mother, engineer and a writer, Shaima found herself unable to find any educational stories written in Arabic to read for her two year old child, so she decided to write them herself. After she published a series of stories that found traction around the Arab world, Shaima teamed up with her brother, Mohammad, and established a company called ‘Alhodhud’.
Starting on a small budget, they focused on creating Arabic educational and entertaining curriculum for school children. The small start-up quickly became a leading company introducing their curriculums in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Europe, and the United States. Alhodhud was quickly recognized for its pioneering role when Microsoft funded it to develop applications for windows phones.
Naji Abu Nowar
Naji Abu Nowar is a filmmaker who was accepted into the Royal Film Commission’s 2005 RAWI Screenwriters lab in order to develop his first screenplay ‘Shakoush’ (Hammer) in association with the Sundance Institute. He also wrote and directed ‘Theeb’, which was accepted into 24 major international film festivals, and won several awards including; Best Director in Venice International Film Festival and best Arab Narrative Film in Abu Dhabi Film Festival. Naji’s work shed new light on Jordan and enhanced its role in the international film industry.
Hamza Arsbi
Educated at the University of Jordan in the field of Psychology, Hamza believes that science has the power to solve many of society’s toughest challenges. In 2011, he launched the Scientific Culture Society (SCS), which aims to promote scientific research in Jordan, and foster critical thinking among students. CSC benefited over 700 students in 6 Jordanian cities, and earned many awards and fellowships from local and international organizations, such as the Laureate Global Fellowship and the American Middle Eastern Network for Dialogue at Stanford (AMENDS) Fellowship.
Rakan Al Rowad
Rakan founded “Ma’rifti Mustaqbali… Nahwa Sireh Thatiyeh Afdal” which is a non-profit organization that supports and helps young activists gain practical skills that will improve their language and information management capabilities through a wide array of useful and free courses. With more than 1100 beneficiaries, Rakan is expanding the organization’s efforts in order to reach out to younger students and provide life skills training to them.
Ghofran Al Khatib
Ghofran is a nurse who established the ‘Patriots of Aqaba’ initiative that aims to create a sense of social responsibility toward Aqaba’s less fortunate residents. In cooperation with volunteers and several non-governmental organizations, her initiative conducts diverse volunteer activities that address the area’s health, education, and social needs. ‘Patriots of Aqaba’ organized nine medical days during which residents receive free checkups and medical care. Through ‘Patriots of Aqaba’, Ghofran also helped establish 20 other initiatives that address Aqaba’s different needs.
Imad Dabbas
Imad is a successful Jordanian architect with a passion for the environment, who decided to design affordable and environmentally friendly houses that save energy, provide proper ventilation and lighting, and are affordable for all income classes. For his achievement and social responsibility, Imad was awarded ‘The Arab League State Award’ in 2014.
Neda’ Kharoub
Nidaa’ is a social activist, entrepreneur, blogger and a trainer, who established the “Trip to Innovation” project. The project aims to fight unemployment by spreading the entrepreneurship and innovation culture among youth in Jordan through workshops, business training and networking services. For her project, Neda’ received the King Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement and received two regional awards for being among the most influential social entrepreneurs in the region.
Lubna Awidi Abbadi
An anti-smoking activist, Lubna founded the ‘Tobacco Free Jordan’ campaign that lobbies for the enforcement of Jordan’s Health Law No. 47 which prohibits public indoor smoking and the sale of tobacco to children who are under 18 years old. Her campaign was supported by partnerships such as the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and other high-profile organizations and companies. ‘Tobacco Free Jordan’ created an anti-tobacco curriculum for Jordanian students of all ages.
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