2020 took a toll on many Jordanian families due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. To encourage a sense of solidarity and community, the YES alumni in Jordan held their seventh annual “Inkush Beitak” (“Pick Your House”) project. It’s a project that the group looks forward to every year. As YES alumnus Ahmad Alkhawaldeh shares, “Since I joined the alumni committee, I have always heard how great ‘Inkush Beitak’ is, and I have always wanted to volunteer with this project. This is my first time participating, and it felt great to take part. Every alum should experience this project at least once!”

“Inkush Beitak” means “pick your house” in Arabic, and the goal of this project is to provide household donations, including clothing, shoes, home goods, toys, and blankets. After gathering these items, the YES alumni hold a free bazaar in a different region of Jordan every year. 

On January 29, 20 YES alumni volunteers met at AMIDEAST in Amman to sort and categorize all the donations that they received. The donations were first disinfected, and then placed in labeled boxes to facilitate a fast distribution process. YES alumnus Omar Shaban explains, “We all have something that we no longer use or need. ‘Inkush Beitak’ gave us all the opportunity to place those donations into the right hands. Knowing how much these donations will make a difference for others motived me to give my best effort.” 

The next day, the YES alumni met early in the morning to load over 4,770 donations into buses. They drove to AlHasa, a city in the Tafila region in the south of Jordan, to hold the bazaar at a local town hall. The donations were out on display for local families to choose items to take home, and the YES alumni were there to assist. Over 324 families attended, and ten percent were Syrian refugees. City hall officials also helped identify families in need to receive donated heaters and food packages. The YES alumni wanted to make sure all these donations were delivered before inclement weather hits Jordan since this year’s climate has been colder than usual. 

Each year, “Inkush Beitak” proves to be a rewarding experience for the YES alumni whether they are volunteering for the first time or returning year after year. YES alumnus Alhareeth Tweissi reflects, “This is my second time volunteering for ‘Inkush Beitak.’ My YES experience taught me that volunteering is one of the community sustainability pillars and I’m glad to be part of that. With everything that’s happening in the world right now, less privileged people are in mass need for our help, and that’s why ‘Inkush Beitak,’ in my opinion, is one of the best volunteering projects that we can provide our community.”

Ahmad Alkhawaldeh (YES 2015-2016, Jordan, placed with Flag in Bluffton, IN)

Omar Shaban (YES 2018-2019, Jordan, placed with ACES in Marysville, CA)

Alhareeth Tweissi (YES 2016-2017, Jordan, placed with AFS-USA in Phoenix, AZ)