Charity and volunteerism are central components to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as well as to the YES program. In honor of the celebration of Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of fasting for Ramadan, the Jordanian YES alumni channeled their community service values into three successful large scale events.

The annual YES Iftar for orphans kicked things off on June 18^th.  17 YES alumni, led by the Alumni Association President Basel Najar (YES 2008 - 2009), organized a large meal for 70 orphans in Amman. The children were provided with meals, toys, and activities such as face painting. The annual YES Iftar encourages alumni to lead and implement their own community service events and allowed the kids to have a fun-filled day.

On June 20th, the first YES Keswet Eid for orphans took place. Alumna Anood Al-wekhyan (YES 2009-2010) came up with the idea and ran the event with the help of fellow alumna Khloud AlZu’bi (YES 2012-2013). Their Keswet Eid project provided orphans in Amman with clothes through a partnership with a local clothing store owner. These YES alumni were able to clothe 100 orphans in the spirit of Eid, spreading happiness, love, and support to those who need it most.

Finally, on June 24th, 14 Jordanian YES alumni participated in the YES Ma’amoul project which provided families at the Al-Talbeyeh camp in Zezya with holiday cookies. Ma’amoul cookies are special tradition at Eid al Fitr, as many families make them to share with one another and with guests. YES alumni volunteers visited 50 families, bringing the cookies and wishing them a happy Eid.

That final event, led by Khloud AlZu’bi (YES 2012-2013), Anood Al-wekhyan (YES 2009-2010) and Baha’a Saleh (YES 2011-2012), was the perfect opportunity to give back and teach new YES alumni the wonderful effects that their actions can have on their communities. The alumni found that “the amount of happiness while visiting these families could not be explained, the smiles on the children’s faces as well as the mothers is priceless”.