Cooperation Agreement between Al-Ahliyya Amman University and the Royal Health Awareness Society

Today, Sunday 13/6/2021, the Faculty of Nursing at Al-Ahliyya Amman University and the Royal Health Awareness Society, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, signed a memorandum of understanding to raise and enhance health awareness among university students. The memorandum, signed on behalf of the university by the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, Prof.Muntaha Gharaibeh, and the Society’s General Director, Dima Jowaihan, aims to educate students about health issues related to the youth group, including: prevention of chronic diseases, reproductive health, smoking, and violence. It also aims to enhance student’s role in the participatory educational process in the field of health and train them on how to provide health education to their peers and build their capacities to lead health activities and initiatives in order to advance the health of the community. This memorandum is based on the belief of the Faculty of Nursing at Al-Ahliyya Amman University in the importance of volunteer work and the youth’s ability to bring about change in Jordanian society and in the implementation of its mission calling for excellence in university education, scientific research and community service. Under the memorandum, the Royal Health Awareness Society, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, supports the efforts of the Faculty of Nursing for the purpose of promoting health awareness among university students, and building the student’s capacity to lead health-related activities and initiatives and carry out interactive activities by supporting the university in its offered health courses such as (Health, individual, family, and society). The Royal Health Awareness Society will also support the implementation of awareness lectures and activities on health issues for university students through the Faculty of Nursing.Prof. Gharaibeh said that the Royal Health Awareness Society supports the implementation of a set of activities during the coming academic years with the participation of a number of qualified faculty members who will be trained to train the trainers to use interactive educational methods, which will address topics like: healthy nutrition and obesity, diabetes, reproductive health and family planning, Adolescence changes, mental health, cancer, gender, safe motherhood, smoking, and preparation for marriage.The association will also support the faculty by holding a series of interactive training courses for a number of faculty members in the faculty to prepare them and enable them to transfer this training to university’s students for the purpose of introducing them to the most important health issues and their role in preserving their health and the health of their families and community members. Gharaibeh thanked the association for its continuous support of interactive student activities, which have a leading role in spreading health awareness among students.Jwaihan expressed her happiness to sign the memorandum with Al-Ahliyya Amman University, praising its role and efforts in supporting the activities and objectives of the association to spread health awareness on priority issues for young people.She emphasized that the most important characteristic of these training materials is that they are interactive and unconventional, based on empowering students with various leadership and life skills that help them educate their peers and implement healthy initiatives.She indicated that the association seeks to enhance this cooperation in the future with the faculty by attracting students to participate as volunteers in providing health education through the association's various programs.Boushti Merabet Mansaf indicated that the institutionalization of programs related to motivating young people to adopt healthy lifestyles is one of the priorities of the Fund, which the fund works on through its partnerships with civil society institutions.It is noteworthy that the Royal Health Awareness Society was established in 2005 and is one of the initiatives of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, to raise health awareness and enable the local community to adopt healthy behaviors. For healthy schools, a Think First program, a productive kitchen, a healthy community clinic, Youth for Health, and other programs that work to consolidate the principles of preventive health and establish the foundations of a healthy and safe Jordanian society.The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is one of the United Nations organizations operating in Jordan since 1976, concerned with population issues, focusing on the contribution of youth to the population opportunity. The Fund promotes access to reproductive health services and rights and the rejection of social-based violence.