Warmth of giving: Charities gearing up for winter relief campaigns

AMMAN — Charities in the Kingdom are in the midst of launching winter relief campaigns to help households prepare for the upcoming season, and are calling for greater funding. 

A stakeholder from the social development sector who declined to be named stated that over 3,500 charities in Jordan are currently exerting efforts to raise funds and distribute winter relief aid packages to low-income households. 

“Low- and middle-income households’ expenses rise significantly during the winter due to harsh weather conditions, which further deepens their economic challenges,” the source added. 

According to Ministry of Planning’s most recent statistics, Jordan’s poverty rate exceeds 20 per cent, whereas the unemployment rate stands at 22.6 per cent. 

The source noted that high poverty and unemployment rates further increase the demand on charities’ winter aid packages.

Winter relief campaigns vary from distributing blankets, warm winter clothing, heaters or gas coupons and food packages. 

“The goal is to provide winter necessities to families in their fight against life-threatening weather conditions,” Samia Erbash, founder of one such winter relief campaign, told The Jordan Times. 

Erbash added that her campaign mainly focuses on families who are vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions, those who have children with disabilities and those suffering from difficult socio-economic circumstances.

Meanwhile, Akram Zubaidi, the founder of another initiative in Mafraq, stated that the weather is becoming unconventionally cold in Jordan. 

“My initiative focuses on renovating houses and constructing ceilings in order to make people’s housing more suitable for this weather,” Zubaidi told The Jordan Times. 

All of the financial support Zubaidi receives for initiatives is from grassroots, individual donors from the Jordanian community, he said. 

Economist Wajdi Makhamreh warned that “under the current economic circumstances, households will have to choose between warming up their households and buying food and essentials for their kids”.

The source from the social services sector said that charities are suffering from a general lack of funding this year. 

“All of the funding is currently being directed to women’s and youth’s empowerment,” the source added. 

Erbash seconded the source’s opinion, adding that all funding received by her charity is from individuals. 

Ministry of Social Development spokesperson Ashraf Khreis refuted the source’s claim. 

“It depends on the charity’s connections and their area of focus,” Khreis told The Jordan Times. 

Khreis stated that funding is currently being allocated to charities to support their winter relief campaigns. Furthermore, he added, many charities have been successful in providing tens of thousands of families with winter aid kits.