Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans organized its second employment convention in cooperation with the USAID, through the USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Programme (SABEQ).

The fund, an independent NGO founded by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah in 2006, organised two initial events, the first in Irbid and the second in the governorate of Zarqa, in an effort to provide Jordan’s orphaned youth with the opportunity to explore potential employment prospects.

The events aimed to link young men and women, who received support from local NGO’s that serve orphans and are registered under the Ministry of Social Development, with different employers in the job market. The conventions’ attendees were provided with information regarding immediate job availability, salaries, benefits, and opportunities for career advancement. 

The first event of this series was held in January at the King Hussein Orphan Care Center in Irbid, where approximately 150 young individuals, between the ages of 18 and 25 who reside in Irbid, Ramtha, and other villages in the Irbid directorate, were linked with five major employers from the industrial sector specialised in light industries.

The Zarqa convention, held on February 18, was organised with the support of the Ministry of Social Development/ the National Training & Employment Project. It was attended by approximately 250 young individuals from non-boarding care centers in Zarqa and Mafraq, who were linked with 29 different employers.

Also in attendance were the head of the Zarqa Chamber of Commerce, and a representative of the governor of Zarqa.

These two events fall under the 2008 business plan of Al-Aman Fund, and are the first in a series of conventions that will be held in different directorates, namely Irbid, Kerak, Mafraq, Zarqa, Madaba, and Amman.

To accomplish this goal of providing employment for orphaned and abandoned youth, Al-Aman Fund will continue its cooperation with the USAID-funded SABEQ Programme to provide other opportunities in the Industrial, Agricultural and Nursing sectors.

The Fund will also coordinate with the Jordan Public Security and the Ministry of Labor to provide other job opportunities in order to benefit all orphans, by catering to their different qualifications and backgrounds.

By providing job opportunities in all sectors to skilled and unskilled Jordanian orphaned youth, Al-Aman Fund will be able to contribute towards building a safer and better future for these young men and women, and will prepare a cadre of experienced labor that supports the advancement of Jordan's economy.

The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) is a five-year broad economic development initiative implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. and a sizeable team of international and Jordanian partner firms.

By both supporting improvements in the business environment and providing assistance to expand innovation and productivity in Jordanian businesses, to support the main objective of building up the private sector as a powerful engine of economic growth. – TradeArabia News Service