"Al-Shabab Awalan" Presents: Najah Diaries: Hanan's Story
9 Jun 2008 in Education, Employment
"Al-Shabab Awalan" ("Youth First") series will share five Najah success stories in Point of View. The third is written about Aqaba resident Hanan Rabayah, a young woman who used her Najah skills to open a beauty-parlor.
I’m a young Jordanian girl from Aqaba… I could not finish my high school education, and that made me believe that all doors were shut in my face! My life lacked the simplest things that my peers considered basics… All that changed after Najah! I might appear simple to most people, but life has taught me enough to have a strong personality! I learned that when the waves reach the shore, they would rest a little before returning to the sea on a new trip to other shores and ports… This is exactly what we need; determination to succeed and achieve our goals... no matter what! I participated in the first Najah Journey in Aqaba. I still remember how I used to be when I first joined that program…A silent introvert…people would barely notice my presence. Najah managed to cover our various needs; we benefited a lot from the communications skills exercises for instance! Each one of us took what he/she needed to develop his/her own skills...
"In my community, they used to see me as a young girl; weak, powerless and helpless… No one could see that I can take the initiative, make a choice or take a decision… No one believed that I could make a difference in this community…"
I learned how to find my own space in order to be able to express myself clearly… I learned that listening is an important part of the communication process, and that my voice is not the only voice that should be heard! When Najah got to CEPs, we decided to explore the opportunities for success for our project in the Khazzan area in Aqaba… My colleagues and I wrote the proposal for our project, a beauty salon, and later on it was approved. We worked as a team…we used our negotiation skills that we learned in Najah with different service providers in the city. We followed up on their work; we checked the details, the bills, the delivery times, and the commitment. At the same time, we developed our skills and gained additional knowledge to be able to do the work ourselves.
Our biggest challenge was our families and our community, but we were determined to succeed! Finding solutions became easier… problems couldn’t hinder our work. I took the decision to dream! My dream is a concept... My belief in this concept and the skills needed to make it a project, with the training I received, made my dream a reality!
In my community, they used to see me as a young girl; weak, powerless and helpless… No one could see that I can take the initiative, make a choice or take a decision… No one believed that I could make a difference in this community… Today, however, I am perceived differently! Both they and I know that I can plan my future and my life…
No matter how different the routes of life are, I will always find my way to preserve what I have gained; my own true identity… the identity of a strong confident girl… A partner who is capable of deciding with whom to share her life, and a mother who will one day raise proud and educated children… This is the free will; it is the will of life…
Hanan Rabay'ah
Najah – Aqaba
Continue Reading Najah Success Stories: >> 1 2 3 4 5 <<
