20.10.2013
40 refurbished computers and monitors left C4C’s storage two weeks ago as a launching pad for C4C’s Springboard to Life initiative, providing computer literacy classes for underprivileged children in Jordan! Thanks to Aramex Logistics, the shipment went on a pro-bono basis, being shipped free of charge!
Conceived in 2008, derailed by the financial crisis, called in question by the Arab Spring and the Syrian crisis, the concept of C4C Jordan had a rough ride from the start! But in spite of hurdles and obstacles galore, it has ultimately won the trust of the authorities. As of December 2013, C4C is kicking off its Springboard to Life educational initiative with computer literacy courses for children in need and at risk in this country. To wit – there are many…
Nowadays, it’s not easy to launch a NGO in an Arab country. Suspicions about ulterior, political motives run deep these days, as Arab Spring revolutions have swept through the Mideast and have sowed unrest & insecurity here. Foreign based NGO’s applications are the proverbial red cloth, setting off alarm bells in the minds of many officials dealing with the fledgling civic sector of society in many Muslim countries. And their worries are not entirely unfounded.
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It all started with a chance, late-night meeting at a petrol station in Prague in 2008. “Which ones of these pastries have no pork inside?” The question comes from a Mid-Easterly looking lady and is directed toward Manfred Franke, C4C’s founder, who’s waiting in line to pay his gas bill. After Franke’s initial “Shalom” reply is hastily rephrased into an “A Salam Alaikum”, the dietary conscious lady turns out to be Susan Alkhatib, then a young telecom executive from Jordan, working in Dubai.
The rest is history! A conversation ensued and Susan apparently contracted the highly infectious “C4C virus” from Manfred. A few months later, in an email exchange between the two the idea of C4C Jordan was borne.
“It’s been a life-long dream of mine to do something truly meaningful and be of help to my people”, said Susan at that time.
“I came to call Susan my “Wonder Woman”, smiles Manfred. “She just wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and she ultimately pushed through C4C Jordan in spite of rumors of revolutions & war and the Syrian refugee crisis.”
C4C is now an officially registered Non-Profit in Amman, Jordan, and Susan assumed the role of manager of operations. Its constituency will range from Palestinian and Syrian refugee children, children born out of wedlock and orphans to children from various other backgrounds genuinely in need and at risk.
