Student Stories from our Schools
Many of the students who attend our centers are women. Unemployment among women in Jordan is 24.8%. As a result, the country has identified education opportunities for women as a critical need. Introducing programs which train women in practical trade skills will not only provide opportunities but empower women to strengthen their communities. The students attending our centers have expressed interest in perpetuating the skills learned through business ownership and teaching. We interviewed several female students and learned more about their personal aims. Many are excited at the opportunity to attend a school in their community and work toward a degree without the rigorous requirements of a University, one of the many requirements being the long commute to and from major cities.
“Rather than sitting at home I can learn cosmetology. This course will be beneficial as I plan on opening a salon in my home. This salon will greatly benefit us and demand will be high because there aren't many competitors. We need moral support. We are in a very isolated area and many people reject the idea of women leaving home to go to university. Our voice is rarely heard elsewhere. This is the first time we have had a cosmetology course here.”
-Yasmin (Tafila Cosmetology Center)
“I hope the basics of these courses will help us to train others or open our own salon. We’ll try to improve ourselves and help our societies. I finished High School and hope to open my own cosmetology center. This will give me purpose in life and enable me to pursue my passion.”
-Amira Subhie (Tafila Cosmetology Center)
[What’s lacking in Tofila?] “No job opportunities. And the transportation is really bad, among other things. I suffered because the vocational schools were only accepting high school students. Since the official schools aren’t providing vocational training for us, we had to go to other schools. I hope they build a vocational school. Even if we have to pay for it. It’s okay. If we want to go to the nearest vocational school it takes us three hours. IF you ride the bus there you will waste the whole day traveling and will not learn anything.
-Baraa Manaseer (Tafila Cosmetology Center)
“I only recently came to Jordan and am originally from Palestine. The first thing I did here was enroll in this course. I have been here eight months. I really enjoy sewing but I’ve never been able to work in it before. This is the first time I’ve studied sewing. I would really like to work in design and fashion.”
-Aman (Marka Fashion Repair & Clothing Design Center)
