‘Litre Kaz’ campaign brings winter warmth to needy families in Karak

AMMAN — The “Ihsan” initiative has launched the “Litre Kaz” campaign in Karak, for the fourth year in a row, to provide fuel and gas for families in need throughout the winter, according to Basem Tarawneh, the founder of the initiative.

“Last year, our goal was 5,000 litres of fuel and we managed to distribute 7,000 litres. This year, we are hoping to distribute 10,000 litres of fuel to cover the needs of 100 families for three entire months,” Tarawneh told The Jordan Times.

The volunteers distribute the fuel at night “to maintain the families’ privacy”, and they give out coupons for families that rely on gas for heating, he said.

“We have an agreement with a distribution agency; families hand them the coupons in exchange for gas tanks, which we later pay for using the donations,” Tarawneh added. 

He noted that families in need also cooperate with the volunteers.

 “They let us know how much they can cover on their own and we take care of the rest,” he said, adding that this allows the initiative to give priority to other more needy families, “thereby achieving the principles of justice and cooperation within our community”. 

He also said that if an emergency occurs or the weather gets worse, the volunteers, who have the families’ phone numbers, check up on them to make sure that they have what they need.

The “Ihsan” initiative, which is supported by the local community, was founded in 2017 after the municipal and local elections, according to Tarawneh. 

“Campaign posters and banners were covering the streets in our area and it was an unpleasant sight,” he said. 

Tarawneh noted that the positive reaction of the local community after the clean-up campaign “motivated” them to do more.

“We launched campaigns to clean up graveyards, schools and streets. We painted pavements, planted trees, gave private lessons for students in need, cleaned up an unused mosque, painted over offensive phrases written on walls, and distributed food parcels during Ramadan,” he said. 

The “Ihsan” initiative also launched “the Warm Winter” campaign in 2017, as volunteers gathered, washed and ironed clothes, which were then put on display for people in need to take what they want for free, he added.

The initiative started with seven friends from Al Husseiniya in Karak, some 140km southwest of Amman, and it now has 50 members, who are mostly students from schools and universities, according to Tarawneh.

“We believe that as long as we’re consistent, the little we do makes a huge difference. That’s why we named this campaign “Litre Kaz”, as one litre of fuel oil costs around 50 piasters which can help give a family a warmer winter,” he said.