“Design and Determine: Building the Resilience of Jordanians and Refugees Through Livelihood Support and Protection” is a project implemented by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) within its economic and human development, youth empowerment and education programs, in partnership with the private sector, and educational and entrepreneurship institutions. It is based on a new approach to help the youth face today’s challenges, giving them hope for the future.
Five young men benefited from this project and are now proud professionals in the barber profession after years of searching for work.
It took them a while to find a suitable job opportunity, or to learn a craft that would help them face the hardships of life, but “today, we can run any barbershop ourselves”.
ARDD cooperated with Theodor Schneller School (TSS) to give vocational education grants to equip young people with practical skills, based on the needs of the local market, which would facilitate their access to it.
In the case of the five young men, they followed a three-month course in the barber profession,
passed the exam with distinction, and now feel confident about their future.
“When the opportunity came to train within the Design and Determine project in this profession, I did not hesitate for a moment to register. I had been waiting for this opportunity for years,” said 18-year-old Moamen Khader who successfully completed the course.
Hamza Abdel Nasser, 17, recounts how he learned from the coach all the old and new methods of barbering and hair blow drying, saying: “The men barbering course that we took as part of the Design and Determine project at TSS was very different. They treated us with love, and the teaching methods were flexible and of better quality.”
The Design and Determine project aims to establish a qualitative partnership with the private sector while building its capabilities to create operational opportunities, decent jobs and safe work environments. It also seeks to reinforce the capacity of vulnerable Jordanians and refugees and increase the chance of their employability, build their business skills, and support skilled entrepreneurs and existing small companies (formal and informal) to start work, grow and expand.
Muhammad Jamal Al-Hariri, a 27-year-old Syrian, lost his job in a restaurant because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even before the pandemic he was constantly losing his jobs, which made him think about learning a craft that would make him independent. Because he was somehow familiar with the barber profession, he did not hesitate to register for the course after receiving a training offer from ARDD. His talent developed, he learned thoroughly about this profession, and today he feels that he is no longer a stranger in Jordan, where he came as a refugee, , and he has acquired a craft that protects him from the vicissitudes in the future.
Wissam Shushi, a 24-year-old Syrian, says that the course benefited him not only on a professional level, but also on a psychological level, as it increased his self-confidence.
“After I took the course, there is no longer any difference between me and the ones who have a high education. We all will work with knowledge,” he said.
For 28-year-old Syrian Muhammad Al-Tumeh, learning barbering was a childhood dream that he only had the opportunity to make come true through the Design and Determine project. He took the course and learned the profession with ease. He believes that learning barbering was an antidote to the frustration that he had felt for a long time, especially since he had reached his age without having had the chance to obtain a certificate or learn a craft that would qualify him to get a job and improve his life.
