JOHUD has a long and proud tradition of providing early childhood education and special needs services in Jordan. Until 1999, the Community Development Centres launched by JOHUD were the only source of pre-schooling and nursery care available to families in remote areas.

JOHUD has made considerable investments in this area, believing that the earliest years of a child’s education have a profoundly formative impact on their development. We have also pioneered innovative changes in the way that early childhood education is delivered. All of the teachers in JOHUD’s preschools have adopted and used the successful “Learning through Play” methodology, which has set the standard for the industry in Jordan in general; hundreds of preschool teachers throughout Jordan have now been given training on this approach.

The inauguration of the Queen Zein al Sharaf Institute for Development (ZENID) marked the launch of JOHUD’s model preschool and training centre, which provides teachers with conceptual and hands-on guidance in the fields of Early Childhood Development and Special Needs-related education. The centre also works extensively with community members, and provides counselling services to young people with special needs and the parents of children with special needs.

Jordan plays a leading role in the fight to ensure that those who have been driven from their homes due to the threat of war and unlawful persecution are provided with a safe haven and the chance to rebuild their lives. JOHUD has joined this effort by ensuring that those seeking asylum are granted access to the services  they need to prosper in times of hardship.

Whilst working in areas with large numbers of refugees, JOHUD staff members and beneficiaries have noted the sometimes severe communal tensions between local and refugee families. This pattern can be most clearly observed within less privileged areas, as already poor communities struggle to share jobs and resources amongst a rapidly growing population. 

To help ease tensions and encourage Syrian and Jordanian youths to spend time with one another, our CDCs and staff members have created programmes and projects that bring communities together. We have arranged sport and art groups, community committees, and elderly clubs in areas with high refugee populations, and encourage representatives from both groups to share their grievances and stories.

JOHUD has also partnered with an assortment of international NGO’s to provide psychological, social, academic, professional, and medical services to thousands of Iraqi, Syrian, Somali, and Sudanese refugees residing in Jordan. We provide disabled refugees with vital medical and disability equipment and services, helping to relieve the burden that physical limitations can place on an already struggling demographic. Male and female refugees, both young and old, have also been provided with training that focuses on developing healthy lifestyles, modes of expression, and marketable skill sets.

Whilst many of the above projects are reserved specifically for refugees, our services in general should always be considered to be available for all groups, regardless of nationality. Our projects are intended to help disadvantaged and poverty-stricken communities, meaning that we are always available to help refugee groups and any others that have fallen on hard times.