SOS Children’s Villages, INJAZ Al-Arab, ink deal

Manama: INJAZ Al-Arab, a member of JA Worldwide, and SOS Children’s Villages, Gulf Area an NGO dedicated to caring for children without parental care and those at risk of losing it, have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide under-privileged Arab youth with empowering employment training.

Based on a successful pilot programme in Lebanon, INJAZ Al-Arab will begin implementing workforce readiness programming at SOS Children’s Villages throughout the MENA region.

Commenting on the decision to collaborate, Nicole Nassar, Managing Director of SOS Children’s Villages Gulf Area Office said, “Quality education and vocational training are key to youth having a successful future. With the region facing grave unemployment rates, we need to ensure that children from all walks of life are given the chance to succeed – including those without parental care. By partnering with INJAZ Al-Arab, an organisation with a strong heritage of running impactful youth programs, coupled with our experience of protecting and educating vulnerable children, we believe that we can make a real difference to the lives and future of young people in the Arab world.”

The pilot in Beirut, Lebanon implemented two INJAZ programmes at the SOS Children’s Villages Youth Program, JA It’s My Business and JA Be A Leader. Based on the lessons learned from the pilot, INJAZ Al-Arab and SOS Children’s Villages will continue working to identify the best programmes and practices to advance their common mission of supporting young people in need, and partnering with other organizations working to empower youth.

“One of the most important lessons we impart to students through our programming is the value of collaboration. Youth unemployment isn’t an issue any one organization can tackle, but through our partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, we hope to support some of young people most in need of economic empowerment throughout the region,” said Nickolas Neibauer, Chief Development Officer, INJAZ Al-Arab.

“By augmenting the job training that SOS Children’s Villages provides with INJAZ programmes focusing on our core pillars of entrepreneurship, financial literacy and workforce readiness, we will be  jointly able to extend our reach and further connect with children from all sectors of society,” added Akef Aqrabawi, CEO, INJAZ Al-Arab.

The partnership was announced by Sami Khoury, Founder of Social Tent and Executive Director of Young Arab Leaders, during the 13th edition of Ta’atheer MENA Social Impact Forum held under the Patronage of H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance, Board Member, Friends for Cancer Patients. The agreement was witnessed by Nicole Nassar, Managing Director of SOS Children’s Village, Gulf Area Office, Nickolas Neibauer, Chief Development Officer of INJAZ Al-Arab, and Sami Khoury.