Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans has won second place at Al Hussein bin Abdullah II Award for Voluntary Service under the category of “Best Volunteer Project by a Non-Profit Organization” The Fund’s Director Eng. Noor Al Hommoud, had the honor of receiving the award during the ceremony announcing the winners, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II.
The Fund received this award for its “Empty Chair” program, an innovative model that engages school and university students in supporting the education of orphaned youth benefiting from the Fund. The program empowers students to create inspiring volunteer-led initiatives aimed at raising funds to cover university education costs for Al Aman youth.
Al Aman Fund qualified for the award after a strong competition that included several non-profit organizations. The “Empty Chair” program was recognized for successfully transforming student volunteering in schools and universities into a space for innovation and social responsibility, where volunteers design initiatives that directly contribute to securing education costs for Al Aman youth and enabling them to pursue their dreams, just as the volunteers themselves benefit from educational opportunities that shape their own futures.
It is worth noting that the “Empty Chair” program began as an initiative exploring how and why school students can be engaged in Al Aman Fund’s volunteer work. What started with an empty seat evolved into a real educational opportunity. The program was developed in line with the Fund’s mission to transform support for orphaned youth into a shared community responsibility that brings together people of all ages.
The program engages students in grades 11 and 12 in designing various volunteer initiatives that aim to raise funds to cover the educational costs of one of the Fund’s beneficiaries. To enhance transparency, each student group is provided with a dedicated online page that shows the progress of donations and their direct impact on the sponsored student, creating a clear connection between donors and beneficiaries.
The program’s win serves as a mark of trust and credibility, affirming the effectiveness of this innovative volunteer model, as well as its transparency in tracking impact and delivering support to those who need it. The program is also distinguished by its sustainability and ability to evolve, as the experience is passed on from one class to another within the same school, allowing its impact to grow year after year and become a culture of collective action among students.
Each time, the “Empty Chair” becomes a symbol of a university seat filled by one of Al Aman’s beneficiaries, while the volunteers become part of a story of change that begins with awareness and ends with an opportunity created through their own initiatives.
The program has succeeded in creating an environment where students learn the values of giving, teamwork, and leadership, while deepening their understanding of the educational and living needs of orphaned youth. Since its launch, the program has engaged 140 volunteers from 9 schools, supporting the education of 11 orphaned youth benefiting from Al Aman Fund, creating a real impact that continues to expand year after year.
Eng. Noor Al Hommoud affirmed that this achievement is proof that the Fund’s vision to expand its impact is being translated into action through volunteer programs such as the “Empty Chair.” She added that the Fund will continue developing programs that empower youth and open doors to a more confident future.
This recognition marks a new milestone in Al Aman Fund’s nearly twenty-year journey of empowering orphaned youth and promoting a culture of giving and social responsibility through volunteer programs that create tangible impact in the future of Al Aman youth.