Feel Good Friday - EcoPeace Middle East

Another Feel Good Friday from Jordan, another post about a local organization. This time - EcoPeace Middle East.

With offices in Amman, Ramallah and Tel-Aviv, EcoPeace Middle East is "a unique organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists." Founded in 1994, their primary objective is "the promotion of cooperative efforts to protect our shared environmental heritage."

The organization was formed because there are many shared resources, such as the Jordan River Basin, Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea that require regional cooperation in order to maintain and preserve. EcoPeace approaches this by hiring local researchers from Jordan, Palestine and Israel then identifying the root cause of the problem and developing a common vision of how the researchers can influence decision makers, the media and the general public in their respective countries.

EcoPeace uses both bottoms up and top down approaches and covers themes related to geographical context, socio-economic projects and climate change.

Bottoms up projects include Good Water Neighbors, a way to involve local communities in solving regional water issues, and an eco center where locals and tourists can learn about and experience the shared environment.

Top down projects are based on research, publication of policy briefs and events to focus each country on advancing policy recommendations. You can read details about all of the ongoing, active projects here.

If you'd like to support the work being done by EcoPeace Middle East you can make a donation and spread the word on social media by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @EcoPeaceME

Next stop, Egypt!

Feel Good Friday - Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship

Happy Feel Good Friday from Jordan! In anticipation of being off the grid during my travels, I wrote and scheduled some Jordan-related posts before I left, including this one about the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship.

Established in 2004, the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping develop technology entrepreneurship in Jordan.

The four areas of focus for the center are:

• Networking - connecting entrepreneurs so they can share their experience and knowledge
• Recognition and awareness - highlighting innovative technology startups and identifying potential opportunities
• Capacity building and support - providing training, mentoring and support services to help entrepreneurs establish and expand their technology companies
• Funding - providing assistance with fundraising during the initial funding and early growth stages

Examples of the QRCE programs include: a monthly startup huddle, where entrepreneurs can pitch ideas and discuss challenges and solutions; an annual competition where university students identify technology solutions for challenges in Jordanian society; and Global Entrepreneur Week, connecting young people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators.

In the last 15 years, over 30,000 people have participated in networking activities, 4,000 attended bootcamps and training workshops, 300 jobs were created and 25 startups were founded. You can read about successful program alumnae at this link.

To learn more and spread the word about the work being done in Jordan, like the QRCE Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @QRCE.

Feel Good Friday - Habitat for Humanity

It's another Feel Good Friday post about Habitat for Humanity. Why? Because I'm currently on a Global Village trip building houses in Jordan!

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has been working with people around the globe to fulfill their vision of "a world where everyone has a decent place to live". They do this because the need for affordable housing exists in every community.

Habitat works in over 30 countries with their Global Village program and since their founding, they've helped more than 29 million people build or improve the place they call home. Families apply for Habitat homes that will be sold to them at no profit. Once approved, they are required to make a down payment and monthly mortgage payments. In addition, they must put in 500 hours of "sweat equity" into the building of their own home and the homes of other Habitat partner families. Habitat considers the work they do a hand up, not a hand out.

I've volunteered on seven Habitat Global Village trips (Guatemala, Peru, Romania, India, Chile, Madagascar and Kyrgyzstan) and they've all been fabulous experiences. Being on a team of volunteers who are using vacation time to build houses with the families that are going to live in them is inspiring. Getting to interact with local people you might not meet as a tourist is an added bonus.

If you want to support the work of Habitat you can join a Global Village trip, make a donation, shop so you can wear your support, like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @Habitat_org.