May 23 2016

Injaz Al-Arab Joins Forces with SOS Children’s Villages International to Provide Under-Privileged Arab Youth With Empowering Employment Training

MoU signed during Ta’atheer, the 13th MENA Social Impact Forum, held in Dubai

Dubai, UAE, 23rd May, 2016: INJAZ Al-Arab, a member of JA Worldwide, and SOS Children’s Village, 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 program 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 programs 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 programs 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 programs focusing on our core pillars of entrepreneurship, financial literacy and workforce readiness, we will be able jointly able to extend our reach and further connect with children from all sectors of society,” added Akef Aqrabawi, CEO, INJAZ Al-Arab.
 
The announcement was made during the 13th edition of Ta’atheer, the MENA Social Impact Forum held under the Patronage of Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance, Board Member, Friends for Cancer Patients and 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, Founder of Social Tent.

 


About INJAZ Al-Arab
INJAZ Al-Arab harnesses the mentorship of Arab business leaders to help inspire a culture of entrepreneurship and business innovation among Arab youth, and was named one of the top 100 NGOs by Global Journal in 2012 and 2013.
Operating in 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, INJAZ Al-Arab is a confederation of national operations collaborating with corporate volunteers and Ministries of Education to provide experiential education and training to Arab youth in work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
INJAZ Al-Arab is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA Worldwide). To learn more about INJAZ Al-Arab, please visit: www.injazalarab.org.