NAF plans to support 85,000 new families to begin in 2019

AMMAN — The National Aid Fund (NAF) on Thursday announced that the execution of its plan to support 85,000 new families will commence at the beginning of 2019, a NAF official said.

The plan, which was introduced by the government of former Prime Minister Hani Mulki, is set to be carried out through 2021, starting with the addition of 25,000 families to the NAF programme in the first year. 

The NAF recently addressed rumours of cancelling the plan under the new Razzaz government, stating in a report published on their official website that such rumours are “false”. 

Basma Eshakat, the general director of the NAF, said in a meeting with her staff that “although the move will be difficult, there is no intention of cancelling the plan”.

Commenting on Eshakat’s statement, NAF’s Spokesperson Najeh Al Sawalha, told The Jordan Times that the difficulty lies not only in financial matters, but in the already-understaffed offices of the NAF as well.

He explained: “The NAF was founded in 1987, and has supported over 97,00 families since its foundation. The problem is that it is now required to serve almost the same number in 4 years instead of 30.”

For Salwa Hanno, a public relations officer at the NAF, “another problem we face is choosing the new families and individuals who are to benefit from the plan. There are too many underprivileged families to pick from, and we are always limited to a certain number according to certain criteria.”

“The NAF has a set of target groups. We usually target the elderly, people with disabilities, orphans, and women who are divorced or widowed,” she added. 

Specialised teams, committees, and consultants are all working on a “fair” rubric to evaluate families and individuals from “most underprivileged” to “least underprivileged”, Sawalha explained.

“The type of families and individuals who are to be included is still undecided. We have certain agendas to take into consideration, but those who are in desperate need are obviously a priority,” stated Petra Jaradat, chairwoman of one of the committees responsible for the selection process.

Currently, the NAF has 41 offices distributed across Jordan’s governorates, all of which are recruiting new people, buying new computer software, and going out on evaluation trips to the houses of the underprivileged, Al Sawalha noted, stressing: “We are positive that, by the beginning of 2019, the NAF will be ready to serve the additional families.”