Zakat Fund approves 11th batch of aid for indebted women

AMMAN — The Zakat Fund Board of Directors on Wednesday approved the 11th batch of “Sahm Al Gharimat” (funds allocated for indebted women) at a total amount of JD31,000.

The money will be used to pay the debts of 46 women wanted by judicial authorities whose loans do not exceed JD1,500 each, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a meeting chaired by chairman of the Zakat Fund Awqaf Minister Abdul Nasser Abul Bassal, members of the board also approved JD46,500 for livestock rehabilitation projects, to be distributed in the Jordan Valley region. 

His Majesty King Abdullah on March 22, during a call-in with Jordan Television’s "Yised Sabahak", saluted all Jordanian mothers on the occasion of Mother’s Day, calling for a joint national effort to support the gharimat — indebted Jordanian women who are unable to pay back loans they had taken to support their families.

On March 30, the Zakat Fund announced that His Majesty would cover the debts of 1,500 of these women, most of whom have borrowed from microfinance funds and other lenders.

Since the launch of the campaign in 2017, a total of 7,166 gharimat have benefited from the fund's campaign with the release of 47 male and female prisoners, with a total exceeding JD4 million in debts paid on their behalf, Petra added.