Ruwwad is a community empowerment initiative that helps disadvantaged communities overcome marginalization through youth activism, civic engagement, and education. Founded in 2005 by a group of entrepreneurs, Ruwwad operates through a network of partnerships with the private sector, civil society, government, and the target communities. Ruwwad covers East Amman, Jordan and Beida—a small bedouin community near Petra—and will expand nationally and regionally in the coming three years to cover Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine through its partnership with Aramex and business entrepreneurs in neighbouring countries.
Support to Higher Education
The Mousab Khorma Youth Empowerment Fund (MKYEF) is one of the cornerstone programs of Ruwwad. MKYEF supports youth who live in critical economic and social conditions in under-served communities in Jordan by providing scholarships in exchange for community service. MKYEF currently provides 170 scholarships to young people in Jabal Al Natheef and east Amman as well as Jordan. The scholarship program also includes 8 beneficiaries from Beida.
Ruwwad’s youth empowerment program engages youth first and foremost through volunteerism and civic engagement. After a minimum period of six weeks, volunteers become eligible for The Mousab Khorma Youth Empowerment Fund (MKYEF). The Fund has awarded more than 430 scholarships since its inception in 2005.
Type of Support
Scholarships
Ruwwad offers scholarships to students. The scholarships; full or partial, cover BSc degrees; college and vocational certificates. Ruwwad has a yearly budget of JDs 250,000-300,000 (approximately USD 353,000-424,000), depending on available funds, targeting 170 students the majority of whom are involved in undergraduate studies. Students are eligible to 50% of the scholarship fund in their first term, and the remaining 50% after the first term if the youth applicants have fulfilled their community service requirements and their youth enrichment program commitment. The scholarship is renewed on a semester-by-semester basis and the percentage of the fees that the students receive depends on a variety of factors including their financial situation, their grades and most importantly the amount of time and effort they give to their community through volunteer work.
Duration of Support
● Undergraduate scholarships: 4 years.
● Vocational and college graduates: 3 years.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants should:
● Fulfill a minimum of 4 hours of local community service work per week, for no less than 8 weeks.
● Have critical economic and social conditions.
● Belong to marginalized communities.
● Show entrepreneurial and leadership qualities.
Application Procedures
● Applications are completed and submitted after youth applicants are interviewed by the MKYEF program officer.
● Applications are scored based on Ruwwad selection criteria, which focuses on volunteerism, leadership initiative and commitment to self and community development.
● The shortlisted candidates are referred to the Community Empowerment Program Officer. (The number of chosen applicants varies every year, according to the number of the annual scholarships available).
● Youth are then interviewed and profiled for social and economic critical conditions by Ruwwad Community Empowerment officer. Youth applicants submit official papers to support proof of critical economic and social conditions; otherwise they are excluded from the list of finalists.
● A second selection is made after verifying the critical economic and social conditions of youth. Those who pass this milestone are then requested to join volunteerism programs for a period of 6-8 weeks, 4 hours per week. They are also visited at home by the Community Empowerment Officer and a social worker.
● The final group of applicants is evaluated based on their volunteerism period, commitment, team spirit and personal initiative, in addition to their application forms, socioeconomic profiles and feedback on volunteerism are chosen by a selection committee.
● The committee makes the final selection per year. An average of 35-45 finalists are admitted per year. The committee is comprised of a representative of the Chairman of the Board, Ruwwad Regional Director, an education specialist, a development specialist, and a distinguished youth graduate of Ruwwad Mousab Khorma Youth Empowerment Fund.
Deadlines
All applications are to be submitted by mid-April of every year. Selection is made by mid-August. Very few critical cases are accepted in December and they can join the second semester.
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