60 | MAY 2011

The Memory

COMMUNITY

Zikra Initiative is Jordan’s first “voluntourism” project focusing on empowering the marginalized. Go’s

Annisa Rochadiat explains…

Ghor Al Mazra’a as one of the Kingdom’s 20 “poverty pockets” in 2007, Zikra Initiative founder Rabee' Zureikat — then marketing manager for one of Amman’s popular museum and a regular volunteer — partook in a charity drive aimed at distributing aid packages among members of the 20,000-strong community.

What started off as a traditional philanthropic initiative, however, morphed into an innovative, mutually beneficial exchange between affluent urbanites of Amman and the rural economically deprived residents of the Ghor. Zureikat initiated the concept of a community-based “exchange tourism” by founding the Zikra Initiative.

By introducing the notion of exchange, Zureikat redefines the traditional notion of charity and community service, tipping the conventional “giver-receiver” dynamic to one that is on a more equal-footing with the two communities exchanging knowledge, experiences, skills, and resources. Zikra, meaning “memory” in Arabic, is thought to have rooted from the concept of reciprocity. Essentially, the initiative aims to produce mutually positive experiences between members

Initiative

Nestled among Jordan’s below-sea-level plains and palm tree grove south of the Dead Sea, Ghor Al Mazra’a, part of

the Karak Governorate, is an impoverished enclave of a disaffected indigenous minority tribe of Afro-Arabs known as the Ghawarna. Recognizable through their darker skin complexion, the community has had to struggle with years of high unemployment rates, lack of resources, and racial prejudices, all of which were worsened by the Ghor’s natural peripheral location within the Kingdom.

As adverse as the social and economic conditions of the community may seem, things, fortunately, took a turn for the better through the hands of a passionate West Amman resident. Not long after the government officially declared

MAY 2011 | 61

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Preparation:1. Cut the stew meat into half-inch cubes (if applicable). 2. Season it with cumin and paprika. 3. In a saucepan, heat olive oil to medium high. 4. Brown meat in olive oil, and then add jalapeño(s) and tomatoes.5. Lower heat to simmer, and cook until meat is tender and sauce is nice and thick, but not dried out. 6. Serve over rice, or as a dip with warmed arabic bread.

of rural and urban communities through facilitating various group activities ranging from hiking trips, to traditional craft-making activities, to tomato harvesting and skill-development workshops.

Zureikat channels all the proceeds made from the initiative’s events, trips, workshops, and other happenings into microloans, which help fund local entrepreneurs as they initiate small community-based businesses. To date, over 20 families have benefited from these microloans and now have sustainable incomes. Zikra Initiative has also helped put two young community members through university.

Having succeeded in putting a previously unknown community on the national and global tourism map, Zureikat hopes to replicate the Zikra model in other impoverished villages not only throughout Jordan, but also across the Middle East and North Africa. You too can be a part of this exciting endeavor. Contact them for more information on upcoming activities, or if you have a particular skill to share with the community, go ahead and touch base with Zikra to initiate a workshop.

www.zikrainitiative.orgwww.facebook.com/Zikrainitiative by "exchange tourism," young,

generally well off, residents of amman get to visit Ghor al Mazra’a for a day working shoulder-to-shoulder with the local community on different projects and activities reflecting the unique cultural features of this agriculture-based region.

on “Zikra bandora Day,” visitors are taken to the valley to learn about the community’s agriculture sector while they are given a hands-on experience of harvesting tomato crops throughout the five-month season. in return, participants get to learn the process of making traditional dishes with the freshly harvested tomatoes like the galayet bandora, or tomato stew. Visitors also get to try their hand at making traditional flat arabic breads, which they get to eat along with the stew for lunch.

Zikra’s other activity branch, "Development through arts and culture," is aimed at fostering creativity among Ghor Al Mazra’a residents while preserving the indigenous local culture. this branch facilitates skill-development workshops — like traditional handicraft and visual arts production — that engage various amman-based organizations and skillful, talented urban residents, while promoting the community’s cultural identity and helping Ghor al Mazra’a residents better manage their cultural resources.

Try this at home!Ingredients: 1/2 kg of beef or lamb stew meat (optional)

3 tbsp of olive oil1 tsp of cumin (to taste)1 tsp of paprika (to taste)1–2 fresh jalapeño pepper, finely chopped 8 tomatoes, peeled.

Galayet Bandora

Recip

e

Building CommunitiesZikra Initiative operates through two flagship activities: "Exchange Tourism" and "Development through Arts and Culture"

Zikra’s hiking trips and

“Bandora Days” are available to for only 25 JOD and 20 JOD

respectively. Log on to their Facebook page

for details.

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