APN | Kufranjah – Ajloun
14 June 2023
In Kufranjah, in the northern region of Jordan, volunteers from the Jordan Kuwait Bank, led by the bank's CEO Haitham Al Batikhi and Aghadir Jouihan, the Director of the Princess Taghrid Institute for Development and Training, joined APN’s Green Caravan. Also present for the tree-planting activity was Razan Zuayter, APN Chairperson of the Board. During this event, APN planted 500 fruit trees in collaboration with the bank at Dar Ne'meh Cottage in Ajloun, which is affiliated with the institute. This initiative aims to support women in Jordanian governorates.
The tree-planting event included the planting of a diverse range of tree varieties, including passion fruit, grapes, stone fruits, citrus, apples, and guavas. This initiative forms a fundamental component of the bank's diamond partnership with APN throughout the course of 2023. The overarching goal is to plant 2,000 trees before the year concludes, strategically spanning multiple locations within Jordan, starting in Ajloun.
Al Batikhi expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all the volunteers for their meaningful collective action. He underscored the necessity of endorsing civil society organizations as an integral facet of the bank's social responsibility. The bank’s social responsibility aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals that prioritize environmental issues, desertification reduction, enhancing food security, and raising societal awareness about the importance of agriculture.
Jouihan provided an overview of the institute's services and projects, including Dar Ne'meh Cottage. The project at Dar Ne’meh Cottage is geared towards empowering local women to showcase their products and create numerous employment opportunities.
Zuayter commended the bank's efforts in supporting agriculture in Jordan and stressed that collaborative efforts will make a difference in restoring the agricultural sector's vital and economic role. This is particularly important in supporting self-sufficiency and assisting people in peripheral provinces. She highlighted that the revival of the sector will also create new job opportunities and productive projects with environmental and cultural dimensions throughout Jordan. These activities provide motivation for others, especially as they reinforce and foster the values of volunteer work.
Notably, APN has previously undertaken three agricultural initiatives in Kufranjah. These initiatives were specifically designed to benefit low-income individuals by cultivating their formerly uncultivated lands. Over the following years, these initiatives bore fruit, leading to self-sufficiency for families in terms of citrus, stone fruits, and walnuts.
