photo from caritasjordan.org.jo

Established in 1967, Caritas Jordan is a branch of the Catholic charity, Caritas International, which first began serving the poor in 1897 and operates today from 200 locations worldwide.

The mission of Caritas Jordan is to provide food, shelter and health care to anyone in need, including Jordanian nationals, refugees, and migrant workers; to facilitate self-sufficiency by connecting those in need with opportunities of work, education, vocational training and micro-credit; and to engage Jordanian society at large with the personal and community rewards of volunteerism.

Since 2011, Caritas Jordan has worked to ease the plight of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, mainly in Mafraq in northern Jordan, about an hour’s drive northeast of Amman. The Zaatari camp, about 6 miles outside of Mafraq, is home to over 80,000 refugees. Every day Caritas staff and volunteers distribute basic necessities – food, clothes, heaters, mattresses, blankets, sheets, towels, toiletries, hygiene items and school supplies – to residents of the camp.

In 2014, with the help of over 2,000 volunteers, Caritas Jordan served some 450,000 people.

For interested travelers to Jordan, Ya’lla Tours will arrange volunteer activities with Caritas Jordan.

November 2015 – Ya’lla Tours president Ronen Paldi (left) at Caritas Jordan headquarters in Amman with Caritas Jordan General Director Mr. Wael V. Suleiman (center) and Ya’lla’s partner in Jordan Mr. Jack Farraj