YES alumni in Jordan were inspired by the spirit of Ramadan to give back to the less fortunate in their home country. On June 9^th, they conducted the “Torood El Khair and Mamoul El Eid” project, which roughly translates to “Packages of Goodness and Holiday Cookies”. The event took place at El Talbeyyeh, one of 10 officially recognized UNRWA camps for Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

Alumna Zain Shehadeh (YES 2013 – 2014) explains, “This specific event holds a dear place to us alumni as it holds place at a refugee camp. And such events and such places reassure us that we have a lot of work to do as global peace ambassadors to ensure that the people who are truly in need of our help get it through our various alumni activities.”

There were 17 volunteers total, 13 of which were YES alumni in various roles to make the project work. For example, Sireen Abu Asbeh (YES 2008 - 2009) collected donations in advance for the mamoul boxes. Rihab Al Bawab (YES 2014 – 2015) collected donations for the torood el khair. In total these two alumni collected enough to distribute holiday gift boxes to 40 unfortunate families living in the camp.

 The rest of the volunteers helped in the distribution process. They carried the heavy boxes and gave them to the families of the camp. Each box contained: rice, sugar, oil, canned foods, beans, tune cans, cheese, and candy. The goal of the project was to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan and the joy of Eid by giving these families food and sweet packages in a time where they are unable to provide for themselves and their families.

Alumna Tala Abu Hayyaneh (YES 2014 – 2015) reflects, “Projects like these build bridges between parts of our community that we do not engage with on daily basis, it reminds us of our responsibilities and role as KLYES Alums.”