Centre in Jerash relaunches with focus on youth training

By JT - Mar 07,2019 - Last updated at Mar 07,2019

In this undated photo, Beit Souf members pose for a photo. The centre was refurbished and relaunched on Thursday with a focus on youth training (Photo courtesy of UNICEF)

AMMAN — A female-led organisation in Souf, Jerash, founded to give women a way to generate income, relaunched on Thursday with a focus on youth.

The refurbishment and relaunch of the Beit Souf centre aims to provide training for youth to open up economic opportunities through a new vocational training centre, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times. The refurbishment was supported by UNICEF’s Amaluna Programme and implemented by the Business Development Centre.

The new training centre will provide 250 youth from the community with training in food processing, entrepreneurship and marketing every year, the statement added.

“Jordan’s young, educated population presents an enormous opportunity to accelerate growth and positive change,” UNICEF Jordan Representative Robert Jenkins said. “UNICEF is supporting the government of Jordan to provide more opportunities for youth as they transition from school to work and increase female labour participation.”

Along with Jenkins, Canadian Ambassador to Jordan Peter MacDougall, Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Aránzazu Bañón Dávalos and the women and youth of Beit Souf attended the launch ceremony.

“Jerash is very attractive to tourists, so we wanted to start a restaurant and engage the many women who are sitting at home with no way of generating income,” Sumaya Kreishan, founder of Beit Souf, said in the statement. “We want to be a top foodie destination in Jordan. Now with UNICEF’s support we’re helping more women by employing them, supporting their home-based businesses and we are training youth here so they can go out and work.”

Hussam, a beneficiary of the project whose last name was not included in the statement, said: “This project develops youth who can’t find opportunities in their community. At times the biggest problem is psychological — you feel like there’s no point [in] having a dream. The training gives us the motivation to succeed. Now I feel stronger and my plan is to finish university, get a good job and succeed in life.”

Private-sector representatives, including those from the tourism industry also attended the launch to sign agreements to help expand the enterprise locally and nationally, according to the statement.

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