AMMAN — Tkiyet Um Ali on Sunday honoured 165 of its main donors and supporters who help put food on the tables of underprivileged families across the Kingdom.
The celebration, attended by HRH Prince Ali, marked the 10th anniversary of the charity organisation's establishment.
The event highlighted the role played by individuals, private and public entities, organisations and commissions in supporting Tkiyet Um Ali's mission to make Jordan hunger-free by 2015.
The Tkiyet, which provides daily meals for 8,200 underprivileged families across the Kingdom all year long, aims to offer food to 20,000 families in need every day by 2014.
Beneficiary families receive food packages that consist of over 20 basic food items to cover their needs for the entire month.
Tkiyet Um Ali follows a "systematic method" to decide on the most deserving families, according to its vice chairman, Abdullah Touqan.
"We provide food to families with the greatest needs, and rehabilitate members of other families to enable them to support themselves, in cooperation with Tkiyet Um Ali's twin charity Dar Abu Abdullah," he said at the ceremony.
Tkiyet Um Ali selects beneficiaries after specialised social investigation teams conduct field visits to study the conditions of those in need, bearing in mind the number of family members.
Speaking on behalf of Tkiyet Um Ali's supporters, Bassam Abu Rumman said donors trust the organisation's method under which the donated money is turned into meals for the underprivileged.
"We as donors support Tkiyet Um Ali's role in boosting solidarity among members of society and its support for the underprivileged," he noted, encouraging individuals and groups to assist its cause.
Tkiyet Um Ali has 120 strategic partnerships with local societies with similar visions across the country, which helps in reaching more people in need, according to its officials.
The charity also provides 400 daily meals for passers-by at its headquarters in the east Amman neighbourhood of Mahatta, in addition to hot iftar meals during Ramadan for around 1,200 people every evening.
HRH Princess Haya launched the charity organisation in 2006 in memory of her mother, the late Queen Alia.
The project was originally a concept introduced by the late queen, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977 while returning from a trip to a government-run hospital in Tafileh.
The term “tkiyet” dates back to the Ottoman days, when prominent families opened facilities on their estates to offer food to the poor and homeless.
