Mr. Saleh Hammad, CEO of the Bank of Jordan, expressed the Bank’s keenness to select and implement social responsibility programs that benefit all sectors of society, especially programs that deal with children in general and those who lose family bonds in particular, which will provide a decent life for children and help them to become effective and capable elements of society. For the advancement of their communities in the future, praising the role played by the SOS Jordan.

For his part, Mr. Al Shalaldeh expressed his pride in this strategic partnership, stressing that the Bank’s support contributes to the daily needs of children living in the family home with their mother for one year, which includes housing, education, food and extracurricular activities such as sports, arts, etc. He also commended the role of Bank of Jordan in supporting the association during the previous years, stressing the importance of continuing this renowned partnership.

Today, Bank of Jordan is one of the largest financial institutions in Jordan. It was established in 1960 and for nearly six decades, the Bank has contributed to the investment movement and economic development with its keenness to achieve the development of societies in the countries where it operates in Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Bahrain.

SOS Childrens’s Villages Jordan is a national non-profit organization founded in 1983, which sponsors approximately 250 orphans and children who have lost their family ties in its three villages in Amman, Aqaba and Irbid, and in its eight youth hostels, (31% in the Kingdom).

AMMAN — The Crown Prince Foundation initiative Naua and SOS Children’s Village Jordan on Monday signed a cooperation agreement that enables the SOS to receive funds to top its programmes, which will be listed on Naua’s e-platform.

Mohammad Shalaldeh, national director of SOS Children’s Village Jordan, said that the support to be received through Naua will contribute to meeting the needs of SOS children and young people, adding that this partnership with Naua reflects the platform’s belief in the SOS’ vision, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Executive Manager of Naua Ahmad Zu’bi highlighted the importance of partnerships with ”credible and effective institutions”, stressing that the initiative will work with the SOS to highlight its programmes on the platform to attract support and help SOS secure a decent living to orphaned children.

AMMAN — President of SOS Children’s Villages International Siddhartha Kaul, accompanied by SOS MENA Regional Director Al Hadi Abdullah, on Sunday had a first-hand look at the services offered in the SOS village in Irbid. Kaul expressed his admiration for the “outstanding services” the village provides in sheltering children with no family support and in supporting their education.

He also commended the staff’s efforts to tend to the welfare of the children, the Jordan News Agency, reported.

Head of the village Zakaria Momani explained that the village consists of 12 homes hosting 110 children, adding that 40 per cent of its residents above 18 years old are enrolled in university or vocational education. Administration Board Member at Irbid City Centre Ibrahim Abu Hassan said that the administration will train and employ the village’s youth.

In September of this year, the organisation launched the #iseeyou campaign to raise awareness that “everywhere, children are neglected, abandoned, abused, orphaned or displaced, but we don’t always see them”, according to its website.

“The first SOS Children’s Village was opened in 1949 in Imst in Austria by Hermann Gmeiner because after World War II, the number of abandoned children and orphans in the world had increased, and his idea spread around the world,” said Mohammad Shalaldeh, national director of SOS Children’s Village Jordan and Palestine, in an interview with The Jordan Times on Monday.

“We started working in Jordan in 1983,” he noted, adding that the first SOS Children’s Village in the Kingdom was officially opened in Amman in 1987 by His Majesty the late King Hussein and Her Majesty Queen Noor, and was followed by two further villages, one founded in Aqaba in 1992 and one in Irbid in 1999.

“We accept children who meet our criteria through the Ministry of Social Development,” the director said, noting that many of the children have either lost their parents or their families are unable to care for them.

Currently, the organisation cares for around 260 orphaned and vulnerable children at the three villages, which consist of different family houses in which substitute mothers care for 5 to 8 children who live like brothers and sisters, according to Shalaldeh.

“We also care about gender policies, child protection and violence prevention,” he added.

The organisation’s aim is to strengthen each individual child, develop their talents and integrate them into the local community, so they go to public schools, Shalaldeh said.

When a child is 13 or 14 years old, they move to one of several youth houses run by SOS in Jordan and live there until they are 18 years old. Shalaldeh highlighted that even after a child is no longer under the organisation’s direct care, they continue to receive support until they are fully independent, adding that until now, over 400 young people from the villages have graduated with university degrees.

In addition to the children’s villages, the organisation is also responsible, via community-based organisations in disadvantaged areas, for programmes that support Jordanian families at risk of abandoning their children and has also launched a programme that targets Syrian refugees, according to the director.

National Director Rana Al Zoubi also presented a briefing about the achievements of SOS Children’s Villages Jordan, noting that SOS has been in Jordan since 1987 providing care for more than 250 children through its three villages in Amman, Irbid and Aqaba and its nine youth centres.

She also stated that in 2020, the association will be focusing on Innovate Alternative Childcare, youth empowerment and funding growth.

The event also honoured major donors, supporters and partners and witnessed the sharing of success stories during a panel discussion with the participation of children, youth and graduates, as well as a mother who has been working in the Irbid village for 20 years.

SOS Children’s Villages Jordan is a national, non-profit organisation established in 1983, and cares for nearly 250 orphans and children who lack parental care in three villages and nine youth centres in Amman, Aqaba and Irbid, according to the statement.