AMMAN — Parents have a moral responsibility to teach their children about their cultural roots, says Sally Assad, whose initiative aims to pass knowledge on to the younger expatriate generation.

Assad, a Jordanian journalist who was born and raised abroad, launched “Erif baladak” (Know your country) less than a year ago, but the idea had been hovering in her mind for years, she told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

When one of her children had to google “Jordan heritage” for a school project, a red flag was raised, she said, urging her to act.

Although expatriate Jordanian children often visit the Kingdom for holidays, they usually just visit clubs or families and do not get to know their heritage, said Assad.

“I realised that neither my child nor their expatriate friends really know about our beloved county, its historical treasures and the wonderful natural places we have, and so I came up with the idea that their visit should also be a learning one,” she explained.

Assad presented her idea to the Ministry of Tourism, which supported her by designing a tourist route for the children to follow, and she later launched the initiative at the house of the Jordanian consul in Dubai in January.

“During the launch and through my Facebook and Twitter accounts, the initiative quickly became known,” she said.

The first trip was organised in March, and 22 mothers and children toured the Kingdom.

“They were five intensive days, but full of learning and fun, that we mostly spent in the capital visiting the Royal Court, Parliament and downtown, among other places.”

The group also visited Jerash and Madaba, said Assad.

“The children were impressed by the historical stories that the mosaic pieces told in the five churches we visited in Madaba, and they were encouraged while doing voluntary work at Tkiyet Um Ali.”

Assad said that former tourism minister Nayef Al Fayez had been “highly encouraging”.

“His words encouraged me to plan and make my second trip in July, touring the Kingdom from north to south with stopovers in Wadi Rum and Petra, which was supported by the current minister of tourism, Lina Annab.”

Writing on the initiative’s Facebook page, Dina Soudi, a Jordanian who has lived in the UAE for 10 years, said the trip was both fun and educational.

Meanwhile, 14-year-old Nour Abu Soud thanked “aunty Sally” for a great time, and encouraged other Jordanian children to learn about their beautiful country.

Assad runs a TV company in Dubai with her husband, who is also a journalist.

She says she believes in the power of “show, don’t tell”, and hopes the future holds many more activities for the initiative, besides tours of the Kingdom.