Raghda is Developing a Unified, Organized, and Socially Responsibly Arab Culture

Country: Jordan

Organization: Ruwad

Field of Work: Community Development, Philanthropy

Target Population: Underserved Communities, Business Sector

Year Elected: 2008

“By showing that a development organization can succeed and flourish using local funds, local expertise and working with the community, I hope the development sector will rethink their strategies and approaches”

The New Idea

Raghda is working to reframe the policies and strategies of development work in Jordan and the Levant to be more responsive to real needs while also engendering more cost- effective, reliable, and systemic structural change. She is introducing a comprehensive collaborative model whereby the private sector and poor communities can interact and learn from each other. Raghda is promoting a comprehensive, participatory approach to development.

Raghda co-founded Ruwad("Entrepreneurs") in 2005, the first organization in Jordan and the Levant to be funded solely by individuals and companies from the private sector. Through Ruwad, Raghda is creating a space where private sector entrepreneurs, underprivileged communities, and government officials can create, innovate, and grow together.

Her overall aim is to shift the predominant attitudes of both sectors. She wants the poor to move beyond feelings of victimization, defeat, and dependence towards notions of self-realization and healthy interdependence. Among the rich, she wants to dissolve sentiments of apathy, fear and resentment and to instead, encourage a greater sense of responsibility and respect for the needs of the poor. Raghda is trying to create a deep systemic change, one of values and beliefs which will lead to greater inclusion and community building.

The Problem

Raghda is addressing structural problems that exist not only in Jordan but throughout the Arab world and are due to the top-down structure of governments in Arab polities. The first problem is the apathy and reliance of local communities on the state to solve their problems and address all their social and economic needs. The second problem, which is the reliance of government and development workers on fickle, top-down, cookie cutter solutions offered by international donors, leads to a lack of project continuity and sustainability. The third problem is the indifference to and ignorance of the private sector and members of the upper class regarding the plight of marginalized communities and how they (the private sector and upper class) can contribute towards the betterment of their society.

Typical development projects have traditionally been donor-driven and are therefore often top-down in their approach, both in terms of decision-making processes and implementation. Additionally, these projects are characterized by high overhead costs and large sums of money being spent on the exorbitant fees, travel, and accommodation expenses for foreign experts and consultants. By showing that a development organization can succeed and flourish by: using local funds, relying on local expertise, using a fully participatory approach with the community, while also making relatively small amounts of money go a long way, Raghda believes that development projects and organizations in the region will begin to rethink some of their strategies and approaches. Once faced with competition from the private sector and other sources, donor agencies will have to reconsider their bureaucratic and hierarchical approach to funding and project implementation.

Progress to Date

Among the programs that Raghda runs is the Mousab Khorma Youth Empowerment Fund which provides scholarship, training and internship opportunities for young people in the communities where Ruwad operates. These opportunities allow young people to pursue their studies and compete in the job market upon graduation through training in English, IT and other skills, as well as through internships. The students are also expected to devote 4 hours a week to serving the community by volunteering with Hamzet Wasel and other organizations. To date, Ruwad has reached 250 young people through this scholarship program and plans to reach hundreds more as the scholarship expands its reach regionally.

Raghda has also developed a special curriculum for the children and young people who join Ruwad, which emphasizes analytical thinking rather than rote learning by exposing children to new ways of learning and encouraging them ask questions and think critically.