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AMMAN — A project funded by Germany and executed by the World Food Programme (WFP) has renovated 600 schools in Jordan, entering its fourth stage with plans to revamp 200 more.

Titled “Food for Training”, the project operates in different areas of the Kingdom, including Amman, Irbid, Salt, Madaba and Maan.

According to Mohammed Zoubi, Communication Officer at NAJMAH (National Alliance Against Malnutrition and Hunger), another partner of the project responsible for implementing it on the ground, said each phase of the project lasts about five months and targets around 20 schools.

“The renovation is carried out by vulnerable members of the community, who get paid for their work. Each phase employs 700-800 workers,” he told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Launched in 2017 and currently in its fourth phase, two new elements have been added to the project this round, which are school gardens and hydroponic plant houses, he added.

“This is both educational and practical. Hydroponic plantation is a new concept and for the students to be familiar with it is important for future employment and skill-building,” added Zoubi.

For the WFP, the project is “multi-faceted” in its benefit, according to Communication Officer Julia Mills.

“The project helps create a healthy and safe environment through the renovation of the school. It also familiarises the students with healthy food and nutrition, which is what the WFP’s work in a broader context is about,” she told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

“Then there is the inclusion of the local community through the workers, most of whom are among the most vulnerable of their areas,” she added.

The project tries to maintain a 50-50 per cent ratio in terms of men to women, and also in terms of Jordanians to Syrians.

“We try to target schools in the most vulnerable areas, which happen to be areas with a high amount of refugees,” Mills said.

Maram Zoubi, a widowed woman in her 50’s among the workers, said the project “helps her make some much-needed extra cash for herself and her children”.

She told The Jordan Times on Sunday that the project is “perfect” for her as she gets to go home at two, in time for her children’s return from their schools.

The project pays JD14 a day, and lasts for 14 days a month over five months.

Funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project is among numerous ones receiving financial support from Germany’s 56-million-euro contribution to Jordan, according to Mills.

Ahmed Othman, a 23-year-old Syrian worker, said the project is “much more comfortable than private construction work”.

Othman “hopes there are more phases of the project” as he “has never felt as respected and valued” as he does now, he said over the phone.

AMMAN — On the occasion of the upcoming Global Climate Strike week between September 20 and September 27, Jordanian civil society organisations and activists launched a social media campaign and will organise a series of events in Amman.

A global mass day of action will take place on Friday, September 20, three days before the United Nations climate summit in New York.

“The global strike is a good occasion for us,” Fadi Amireh from Jadal for Knowledge and Culture, who is one of the organisers, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

“I think it is important to have events everywhere, all around the globe,” he said, adding “the whole civilisation is under threat because of climate emergency. It is our duty everywhere to act and to put more pressure on politicians, so that they can take the correct actions to face the crisis.”

Among the signatories are Shams Community, Green Generation Foundation, Jordan Environmental Union and the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature.

On the campaign website they write: “The accelerating climate events such as heat waves and floods that we see... are met with terrible denial and ignorance.”

“We as a civilisation have to stop our dependency on fossil fuels and design our world and our economy respecting nature,” Fadi Amireh said.

The planned activities aim to draw attention to threats to the climate and raise awareness, according to the organisers.

The week kicks off with a musical “prayerformance for Mother Earth” on Saturday, September 21. Among the other events are a night of discussion with the question: “What are the manifestations of climate hazards in Jordan and the region?” one  session in English and another in Arabic, and a climate photo exhibition.

The activities will take place at Jadal for Knowledge and Culture in Amman and other venues, according to the organisers.

AMMAN — EY Jordan has announced the launch of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Jordan award programme, under the theme “The Unstoppables”.

In its ninth cycle, the programme aims to recognise “remarkable leaders and individuals who are driven by the desire to better the world around them”, according to a statement issued by the organisers.

EY Jordan will be accepting nominations until October 7 for the Emerging EY Entrepreneur of the  Year award category, the statement said, adding that candidates may enter free of charge and obtain nomination forms by sending an e-mail or completing the online application.

To qualify for the Emerging EY Entrepreneur of the Year award category, candidates must demonstrate that they have introduced an innovative idea to the market, be owners or founders of a business (not a subsidiary or division) that enjoys stable financing either through revenue or financial backing, be directly responsible for their company’s daily operations and success, have a significant equity shareholding in their business and run a company that has been operating for over two years with a minimum of 10 employees, read the statement.

Furthermore, the business must have been either established or currently based in Jordan, or have headquarters or operations in the country, the statement said.

A distinguished panel of judges will assess the applications received based on entrepreneurial spirit, value creation, strategic direction, national and global impact, innovation and personal integrity/purpose-driven leadership, according to the statement.

“The EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Jordan programme gives us the opportunity to celebrate a very special group of determined men and women who have persevered and flourished in the face of challenges,” Waddah Barkawi, managing partner of EY for the Levant, Iraq and Libya, EY entrepreneur of the year country leader and EY Jordan partner was quoted as in the statement as saying.

The global Entrepreneur of the Year programme, now in its 33rd year, was launched to recognise the accomplishments and endeavours of exceptional entrepreneurs from around the world, the statement said, adding that the programme has grown to encompass more than 145 cities across 60 countries.

According to the statement, EY is “a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services”.

AMMAN — Scholarly interest in post-Nabataean Petra has increased during the last decades, said a Finnish archaeologist in a recent interview with The Jordan Times, adding that recent projects have gathered new information about Petra in the Crusade period.

When Crusaders came to the region in the 11th century, a monastery on Jabal Haroun, close to the ancient city of Petra, still existed, but the building was most probably partially collapsed, said Jaakko Frösén from the University of Helsinki, who spent decades studying Petra.

In 1100 the expedition led by Baldwin I arrived at the place and most probably met some monks there, the archaeologist said, adding that they were likely Greek Orthodox Christians. 

Both Fulcher of Chartres, a priest serving Baldwin I in the First Crusade, and Gilbert the Abbot, who participated in the Second Crusade, wrote in their chronicles about the expedition led by Baldwin I, with only Fulcher being an eyewitness, he said.

“Our Crusade sources do not mention the Tomb of Aaron,” Frösén noted, adding that the Tomb of Aaron on Jabal Haroun was mentioned during the 13th and 14th centuries by Jewish and Muslim chroniclers.

“In 1217, when Christian pilgrim Magister Thetmar came to Petra, there were still two monks on Jabal Haroun,” Frösén concluded.

AMMAN — As the teachers' strike has entered its second week, a number of private schools across the Kingdom have opened their doors to Tawjihi students of public schools until teachers suspend the open strike.

A number of private schools, on their websites, have welcomed Tawjihi students of government-run schools enrolled in the scientific and literary streams to attend classes for free as of September 17 outside school hours from 3:30-8:00 pm.

Embodying national and educational responsibilities towards the schoolchildren who are most affected by the teachers' strike, a number of educational initiatives have been launched since teachers of public schools started their open strike last Sunday.

To alleviate students' burdens, Zarqa's private schools, in cooperation with Zarqa Private University and the governorate's Education Development Centre, issued the "our students are our responsibility..." initiative providing the central region's students with schooling and transportation.

In separate individual initiatives, a number of teachers of public schools have given classes for Tawjihi students in a number of subjects, while refusing to teach certain courses in compliance with the decision of the Jordan Teachers' Association.

The teachers’ open strike started last Sunday and no agreement has been reached with the government regarding their demand for a 50-per cent pay raise.

The open strike was announced after a sit-in in Amman last Thursday, during which the Jordan Teachers Association claimed violations were committed against its members.

The Public Security Department denied the allegations, but confirmed that 50 teachers were detained during the protest for “illegally forcing their way through to Fourth Circle”.

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said that a pre-cast concrete girder slipped during its installation on Monday night on Army Street, with no injuries reported. 

The installation process was filmed, and there will be a review of all the technical measures taken in order to determine who is responsible for the error, GAM said in a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Tuesday. 

Amman Mayor Yousef Sharawbeh said that the error occurred while installing the pre-cast girder as part of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

Project Director Riyad Kharabsheh noted that traffic returned to normal after the incident was handled, according to the statement.

Later on Tuesday, during a workshop held at the Jordanian Society for Science and Culture, Shawarbeh announced that GAM allocated JD4 million this year to support the public transport sector, and the budget could increase next year. 

He said when public transport reaches the city's outskirts, it could bring development and encourage investors to build projects outside the city at lesser costs. 

GAM's strategy that was prepared three years ago and ends at the end of 2020 covers public transport, legislation development and e-transformation and investment, which Shawarbeh said are separate from daily tasks and responsibilities related to services and infrastructure. 

On public transport, he said the focus now is on the BRT's infrastructure, which will be complete at the end of next year except for the Tareq intersection area in Tabarbour due to the late floating of the tender.

He also highlighted GAM's Amman Vision Investment and Development Company's work in running 135 public transport "Amman buses" after studying daily traffic in the capital, affirming that an additional 151 buses will be added to the services this October with e-payment and accessibility for people with disabilities, in addition to having two monitoring cameras installed, one directed at the driver and payment device and the other at the rest of the bus. 

In two weeks, the three-month trial period for the Amman buses will end, the mayor said, noting that afterwards screens will be installed at the bus stops in order to indicate arrival times. 

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh on Tuesday separately met Qatari Ambassador to Jordan Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani over means to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields and maintain cooperation and consultation on issues of mutual concern.

Highlighting the Jordanian-Qatari “deep-rooted” ties, Fayez expressed the Kingdom's keenness on building on these relations in a way that serves the best interests of both countries and the Arab world, highlighting the importance of expanding prospects of joint cooperation between the two countries in political, economic, investment and parliamentary fields.

The Qatari envoy, in implementation of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani’s directives, voiced his country's keen interest in bolstering ties with Jordan.

Qatar will put in work to activate mutual coordination, especially in light of the challenges facing the region, the Qatari diplomat said, affirming Doha’s support of comprehensive economic development projects, while reaffirming the Gulf country’s keenness on supporting Jordan.

Meanwhile, Tarawneh highlighted that the two countries’ ties are based on mutual respect, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two sides also stressed the centrality of the Palestinian cause, with Tarawneh noting the two countries' unified stance on defending the Palestinian cause in all international arenas.

The Qatari envoy lauded the Kingdom's stances towards Arab causes, topped by the Palestinian cause.

He also expressed appreciation for the Jordanian expatriates’ competencies in Doha, highlighting their role in the development process in his country.  

AMMAN — Jordan is committed to multilateral nuclear-weapon disarmament in the Middle East and to creating a region free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) Chairman Khaled Toukan said on Tuesday. 

During the 63rd Annual Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna, Toukan underlined Jordan’s commitment to combatting the spread of nuclear weapons and ensuring that nuclear energy is utilised strictly for peaceful purposes, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

During the conference, Toukan briefed attendees on the progress of Jordan’s nuclear energy programme, which includes establishing the Jordan Nuclear Power Plant and the Jordan Research and Training Nuclear Reactor. 

The agency’s chairman also pointed to the Kingdom’s Uranium mining project and efforts to develop human resources in the field. 

Toukan expressed Jordan’s dedication to the guarantees system as a vital part of international efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and limit the use of nuclear energy to peaceful purposes.

The participating Jordanian delegation held a number of meetings with Arab and foreign partakers over means of cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as well as meetings with high-ranking officials from the IAEA.  

Talks during these meetings addressed developments to the Jordanian nuclear programme and matters of technical cooperation with the IAEA. 

On the sidelines of the conference, the JAEC organised a roundtable discussion that tackled the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, during which a number of scientists from Europe, Africa and southeast Asia gave presentations on the role of synchrotron light in development and science. 

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Tuesday said that it had uncovered several violations on water mains in the Jiza area, which were used to illegally siphon off water to houses in the area.

The ministry said that, based on inspection campaigns and tip-offs received by the unified complaints centre at 117116, residents of Jiza said that they had not received water due to the illegal diversion of water, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The ministry set up a taskforce, in cooperation with the Amman governor, the Royal Badia Forces and the Water Authority of Jordan, which resulted in uncovering eight violations on water mains in Jiza to supply more than 25 houses and livestock barns with water amounts exceeding 500 cubic metres. 

The illegal fixtures were dismantled and an investigation is under way, Petra said.

The ministry underlined that the national campaign to end all forms of water theft and violations is still ongoing, urging the public to cooperate with the authorities by reporting violations on water resources and networks.

In 1997, the ministry banned the drilling of wells to limit random pumping of water and preserve aquifers from depletion and salinity.

International studies indicate that water levels at several aquifers have been dropping at a rate of one metre per year, according to the ministry, which noted that more than 50 million cubic metres of underground water are being extracted through indiscriminate pumping.

AMMAN — The Agriculture Ministry coordinates with farmers to protect local produce, the Jordan Valley Farmers Union said on Tuesday. 

There were reports of farmers protesting against the import of citrus fruits from abroad, President of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union Adnan Khaddam told The Jordan Times.

 He confirmed that Minister of Agriculture and Environment Ibrahim Shahahdeh has halted the import from the beginning of August until February next year in order to protect local fruit crops. 

"The farmers provided the ministry with the production rates and the minister took the decision based on them. Last year the sales of citrus fruit in particular went well," Khaddam said.

However, according to Khaddam, farmers are suffering in general because of the continuing deterioration of the sector. Around 23,000 of them are wanted in light of financial dues accumulated because of the loans they took to work on their lands and the losses they suffered afterwards, he said. 

Khaddam expected that the space of farming lands will drop down by 40 to 50 per cent as of this season, and said about 20 per cent of those who are able to retain their lands will not be able to handle the finances of farming and planting on them, which evinces how the sector is “falling apart and requires immediate attention”.

Nawash Al Yazjeen, a farmer from the Jordan Valley, told The Jordan Times that ever since the Syrian crisis and closures of borders in 2011, the export routes to Europe and Russia closed, which is "the main and direct reason why the agricultural sector in Jordan suffers".

Farmers are unable to practise their profession either because of accumulated debts, the inability to export or fear of investing and then suffering losses, he said.

"There is enough produce to cover the Kingdom's needs but the surplus goes nowhere and ends up turning into losses," Yazjeen said.

The private-sector factories that provide farmers with farming materials, such as fertilisers and agricultural vaccines, are in debt by more than JD450 million, according to Yazjeen. 

There used to be around 70,000 greenhouses in the Jordan Valley, 30,000 of which were designated for European and Russian produce.

The produce was delivered through Jordanian traders who had agreements with Russian and Turkish traders and transported it inside refrigerator trucks from the valley, so that in seven to eight days it would reach Europe and Russia through Syria and Turkey, he said. 

"The only solution is to find export routes to those markets as the government does not have enough money in the budget to support farmers, and using planes to deliver cargo would be very expensive,” he noted.

Citrus farmer Khaled Farah said that the import of the fruit has stopped, praising the minister's efforts to help farmers in this regard.

"Last year's season went well; this year's season is going well, and we hope that things turn out for the better in the future too," he said.