AWLI Member Fights Desertification in Jordan on Arbor Day

Amman, Jordan– The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan celebrated Arbor Day on January 15, 2011, and one of the Arab Women’s Leadership Institute’s (AWLI) Members was there to celebrate.  Less than one percent of Jordan is covered in greenery, and what little forest exists is threatened by illegal logging, wild fires, and lack of rain from climate change. 

For these reasons, AWLI Member Fatema Al’Aqarbeh appreciates the importance of Arbor Day in Jordan.  She is the head of the Empowerment of Local Community Society, a civil society organization that helps to empower young men and women in Jordan by encouraging volunteerism in their local communities.  Al’Aqarbeh was joined by 102 young Jordanians in planting 100 trees throughout Amman.  This is the third year her organization has participated in the tree-planting celebrations.

“We celebrate Arbor Day to support the environment.  It helps us combat desertification and the color of green has been proven to help people feel better,” said Al’Aqarbeh.  “We want to help make Jordan greener.”

Officials in Jordan marked the day by providing one million tree saplings to school children.  They also planted trees along the banks of dams, and encouraged all Jordanians to take care of the trees they already have. 

Arbor Day began in 1872 in the United States where an estimated one million trees were planted in a single day.  Today, it is celebrated around the world in dozens of countries.  According to the Arbor Day Foundation, planting trees fights against global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the air.  They also provide cooling shade, block winter winds, prevent soil erosion and a host of other benefits to the environment.  

In Jordan, the first Arbor Day was held in 1939 at Jabal Al Qalaa.  It has been celebrated every year since at a different location where new saplings are planted.

Al’Aqarbeh attended AWLI’s training last year on the role of civil societies and regional economic development.  During the three-day training, held in Amman, participants discussed the practices of successful civil society organizations.  These practices included setting specific goals and developing strategic action plans, which Al’Aqarbeh credits as a motivation in completing the planting project that has become part of the yearly long-term goals of her organization.