AMMAN - Spending the afternoon at a community centre in Jabal Natheef can be an eye-opener to complex challenges area residents face daily, but a closer look reveals that under the rough exterior lies a vibrant community with qualities to envy.
The "Ruwwad" centre, which was established last year and funded by the private sector, acts as a catalyst for members of marginalised communities. Being dubbed the new community management, it boasts scores of accomplishments through encouraging area residents to overcome their vulnerable conditions.
As an organisation that serves as a second home to hundreds of neighbourhood children and has rallied 250 community volunteers on a daily basis in its five multifaceted programmes, Ruwwad's staff understand that they are part of something much deeper than "helping the poor".
The director of the centre, Ragda Butros, told The Jordan Times that the centre's mission goes beyond sympathising with the underprivileged.
"I tell visitors not to come here feeling sorry for people. Yes, there are problems and I hear heartbreaking stories every day... but people here are part of a real community that they feel they belong to... how wonderful is that?" she remarked.
According to the activist, the "message" of active community life needs to be broadcast to the entire Kingdom, including the rich neighbourhoods.
In her opinion, neighbourhood life is nearly nonexistent in affluent areas, where people should work to develop a true sense of community.
"Getting involved with your neighbours and trying to better your community does not have anything to do with economic status," she said.
Butros added that she feels there is a real "cultural poverty" on both sides of the track. Impoverished residents may not be open to diversity, Butros said, while there are wealthy families who may know "or think they know" about other countries but are not contributing such knowledge to their own "because they are living in this sort of bubble".
As an example, she said students from impoverished areas are much more informed on the issues that are impacting the Jordan society compared to their richer peers.
A staff member who is involved with outreach activities, said it never ceases to amaze her the topics youth from poor areas discuss around her.
The social worker stressed that organising children's time and making sure they contribute to issues affecting their neighbourhood has nothing to do with social status.
Around 100 youth flock to the centre each week to take part in meetings that cover issues impacting the Middle East, the role of youth in development and community relationships and the concept of citizenship.
"Ultimately this is not a poverty project, we could implement this in Abdoun and we would have the same programmes minus the financial help," Butros said.
Embracing life not bearing it
In an area that suffers from a high population density, coupled with high birthrates, school dropouts and unemployment rates here are 50 per cent higher than the national average.
Driven youth who do not view themselves as victims stand as exceptional cases.
Omar Abdul Nabi has graduated as a nurse but his creative mind has pushed him towards becoming an aspiring filmmaker. He volunteers his time at the centre daily and is involved with anything he can assist with. Through the non-profit organisation, he has participated in a one-minute filmmaking production with an international organisation and was rated among the top five participants, with a first-place ranking from global online viewers.
His brother Mahmoud, an honour IT student at Yarmouk University, is close to his goal to become a network administrator and is also involved in neighbourhood service.
When he took an internship with ARAMEX through Ruwwad, Butros said management called to ask her to refer him to them after he graduates.
"He was so good at what he does, they felt they had nothing to teach him," she noted.
The brothers live with their family of five in a home rented for JD27 a month, all on their father's JD100 monthly pension.
Have a cup of tea in their home in Jabal Marreekh and it is easy to be charmed by the tight family unit. Their father, Abu Ahmad, reminisced about "smoother" years when his income peaked at JD250. For the family that is oblivious to living conditions that others may find unbearable, the cost of living means learning to do without. Disconnecting the house phone was just one of the sacrifices they have made to meet their survival needs.
Their mother told The Jordan Times that at one point their corrugated ceiling opened and sewage would drip into their living area. But she stresses that her family has other priorities.
"This is not what is important, we worried most that our children are raised to be good people and that they put their education first," Um Ahmed said.
The brothers fix computers in a makeshift shack in front of their home to make sure they can cover personal expenses and provide JD3 a day for Mahmoud's transportation to the university.
Omar has an interview this week to study at the internationally recognised SAE media arts institute which offers studies in animation, filmmaking and audio engineering.
Interested in Omar's talent, the Ruwwad's director said that she would work with him to find ways to cover the JD6,000 annual school fee.
"I found out that he was apprehensive about the expensive fees and felt that since he already has a degree in nursing he would rather have the centre send several other local students instead of paying for him to pursue his passion".
She added that he comes to volunteer every day quietly and has never asked anyone for payment.
"It is about having the right attitudes... These are the types of people who don't believe in victimising themselves because if you view yourself as a victim life will continue to victimise," the centre's director said.
By Linda Hindi
© Jordan Times 2007
