HOMES is a flagship Community Service program at LOYAC. HOMES is designed to assign LOYAC volunteers to renovate and rehabilitate critical spaces, particularly schools, in remote, rural, and marginalized communities across Jordan.
HOMES meets the pressing needs of local communities while empowering LOYAC youth by putting them to work in a philanthropic context with very tangible, rehabilitative outcomes for everyone involved.
Overview.
HOMES was originally conceived to put LOYAC volunteers to work on renovating homes in underprivileged and remote areas across Jordan. But, when we renovated one Home in an underprivileged neighborhood, neighbors asked us to renovate the entire block!
Thus, to be more fair to the larger community, HOMES turned to renovating public schools instead of people’s homes, allowing LOYAC to have a greater impact on both school and community.
Youth Profile.
25 students and fresh graduates from across Jordan between the ages 18-24 (annually). 50% Female/Male participants.
How it Works.
Following in-person interviews, 25 students are selected from approximately 200 volunteer applicants from all of Jordan’s governorates. LOYAC selects smaller public schools with a maximum of 180 students, to match the capacities of our 25-person volunteer crew.
Once a school is selected, volunteers are hosted at a hotel/hostel close to the selected school for the duration of the renovation, which usually takes a maximum of 10 days.
School renovation projects are combined with daily soft skills training and team-building exercises, and volunteers are given two days off to explore the area and its history, and to socially interact with the local residents.