By Daoud Kuttab

A quarter of a century of continuous work to improve the lives of Arab women is certainly worthy of attention. For the Jordanian NGO Arab Woman Today (AWT) the way to serve and help improve the lives of Arab women has always been by offering genuine love.

This was the message that was echoed loud and clear by leaders and supporters of AWT celebrated Saturday, October 10th with the silver jubilee along with staff, board, donors, and a crowd of well-wishers at the Dead Sea King Hussein ibn Talal Conference Center.

AWT Founder Ruba Rihani began her work in 1999 producing and presenting radio programs on Trans World Radio. “But with the digital revolution, we quickly switched to creating and engaging Arab women using various social media platforms, podcasts, and even an online AWT academy.” She said that the themes that were covered in the various media productions include issues dealing with how women can deal with the challenges that she is facing but also how they need to engage with the society and community they are living in. Domestic violence has been a major topic of our educational programs. “With the deterioration of the economy and especially during the pandemic, we noticed a spike in domestic violence, and we made a special effort to deal with these issues both on an emotional level for the women as well as on ways to address these problems via local civil society organizations that we networked with.

Rihani said that the organization’s main effort is focused on the emotional health of Arab women. “We believe social health is a prelude and even a prerequisite before we can talk about spiritual health” Rihani also pointed out that economic empowerment is another part of the work with Arab women. “Women suffer the most when there are no economic opportunities. We have been working with women to help them home in their talents through finding a way to create successful entrepreneurship projects.” Rihani said that AWT has worked with the help of corporate social responsibility of the leading Jordanian cell phone company, Zain, to train women in four Jordanian districts on how to find and develop sustainable projects and they have organized a small training program for women candidates for the recently held parliamentary elections in Jordan.

On the positive side, Rihani notes that she has seen a marked improvement over the past two and a half decades in terms of legislation. “I would say that most Arab countries have improved their labor laws to be more sensitive to women’s rights. Social security programs have grown and spread and have been a major source of comfort to many women.

Rubani notes a huge engagement with women throughout the Arab world. “But our biggest followers are in Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt and we also engage with women in North Africa as well.”

AWT also works with Christian women helping them develop their skills. “We are involved in discipleship training as well as working on issues of leadership from a biblical perspective.

At the celebration of the silver jubilee of AWT, a congratulatory message from the former US First Lady Laura Bush was read to the attendees. Mrs. Bush noted her visit along with President George W. Bush to the offices of the Arab Woman Today in Amman and that both were impressed with messages of hope for peace and dreams for a better future.

Chair of the board of Arab Woman Today Reverand David Rihani spoke of the day-to-day challenging work of the entire team praising the vision of the founder and the dedication and empathy of the staff.

Basma Gammo, the veteran women activist who has been with the organization since its start, spoke about the two issues that have exemplified the work with Ara women. “We worked hard to show love and compassion to all the women that we worked with,” Rihani noted the phrase that her longtime colleague Gammo always repeated about the work she was doing. “The service I am doing is a commitment to the Lord and not a work contract.”

A favorite expression used by several speakers reversed the well-known phrase. “Behind every successful woman is a man” they noted about Ruba’s husband Reverand Nabeeh Abbasi who is the president of the Baptist Convention in Jordan. Reverand Abbasi said that the work with millions of women over decades has produced tangible results. Abbasi also praised the political environment in Jordan. “In a region full of brutal wars, religious conflicts, and regional tensions, Jordan under the leadership of King Abdullah II stands as a beacon of stability and tranquility. His Majesty provides an enabling environment at home and a genuine search for peace and justice in the region.”

Rev Charlie Osta AWT’s trusted advisor made his way from Lebanon to be present at this important occasion. He gave firsthand testimony of his own experiences with the vision of Ruba as was shared with him from the early days over their family’s kitchen table. Osta spoke about the challenges that the AWT founder had to contend with over the years. “She faced many challenges including the influx of Syrian refugees and the Pandemic but she always prevailed to provide for the needy Arab women. Reverand Osta, who is nicknamed the Baptist Pope, spoke about God’s faithfulness. He praised the role of a model for her husband, Rev Nabeeh Abbasi, supporting his wife as she struggled to carry out her vision. Osta praised Jordan’s King as a positive example to other leaders in the region for his support of women’s rights.

Arab Women Today has big plans for the future. Ruba Rihani said that she hopes that in the coming years, AWT can step up cooperation with like-minded organizations. “We are planning to focus more on issues of post-war trauma healing and psycho-social support for women. We want to develop women women-centered- economic and political program and we are looking to increase advocates and ambassadors for Arab Woman Today in different countries across the Arab world we are looking for ways to use AI in our effort to help Arab women.”