YES alumna Rihab AlBawab ‘15 was inspired by the spirit of Ramadan to give back to the less fortunate in her home country of Jordan. On April 7 and 8, Rihab conducted the “Trood El Khair” project, which translates to “Packages of Goodness”.  

25 volunteers participated in total, 8 of whom were YES alumni, 3 of whom were current YES Abroad participants, and the remainder were friends and family of the alumni. Rihab managed the collection of goods for the project, and the alumni helped distribute packages on the second day. In total, they collected enough donations to put together 60 packages which they distributed to families that live in rural areas and are from lower economic classes.   

When assembling the packages, it was very important for Rihab to not only include things that would be useful to the beneficiaries, but also to support small Jordanian businesses. She bought all of the items from local shops and ensured that the items were locally produced. Each package contained 30 items, including: rice, sugar, flour, lentils, beans, freekuh, bulgur, zaatar, hummus, tomato paste, fava beans, tuna, sardines, halawa, corn oil, olive oil, milk, pasta, tea, Nutella, chicken broth, juice, coffee, dates, cheese, sweets, and bread. The alumni made sure that the boxes included enough supplies to cover at least one month for a family.   

The group distributed the boxes on April 8 to families in need in five cities across Jordan: Zarqa, Jarash, Balqa, Ein Basha, and Amman. The families varied in size from 3-12 members. They collaborated with a community-based organization to choose what families the boxes would go to.  

Rihab says, “I have always participated in community service projects, but never had the opportunity to come up with my own. Being a YES alumna provided me with the skills and the opportunity to give back to the community and contribute to underprivileged communities.”  

Rihab AlBawab (YES 2014-2015, Jordan, placed by Ayusa in Phoenix, AZ)