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Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra)--Her Majesty Queen Rania met today a group of volunteers running a Ramadan initiative whereby they distribute water and dates along the roads at sunset to people on their way home.

During the meeting, the volunteers briefed Her Majesty about their initiative, which was first launched in 2006. The initiative goes under the name of "Tasbeeret May Wa Tamr", translated as: A little bit of water and dates, and has since 2006 grown substantially.

Her Majesty praised the efforts of young Jordanians partaking in volunteer work in general, and especially those who involve themselves in such volunteer work during the holy month of Ramadan. Her Majesty told the volunteers that such initiatives instill confidence and love for charitable work in citizens. Her Majesty added that in addition to being spiritually rewarding, such volunteer acts remind us of the true spirit of Ramadan. One of the volunteers explained that, over the years, the initiative spread widely, particularly with the help of social media.

The volunteer continued saying that anyone, and not just those working with their initiative, can take part in providing water and dates to cars passing by with fasting passengers and drivers. He added that on a daily basis, many volunteers can be found at traffic lights at sunset rushing to hand out water and dates to fasting people in cars, en route to their homes or on their way back from work. What motivates many of these volunteers, beyond the simple joy of giving, is the saying of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) that there is great reward in feeding or giving water to break the fast of someone during Ramadan.

Last year, the initiative distributed around 27,000 packages during Ramadan, up from a modest 100 packages in its first year. This year, Tasbeeret May Wa Tamr aims to distribute over 30,000 packages.

While volunteers from Tasbeeret May Wa Tamr can be found dispersed across different areas of Amman and Al-Zarqa, there are many similar groups of volunteers and individuals carrying out other volunteering efforts in all directorates during Ramadan. But giving and volunteerism is not restricted to individuals or groups of volunteers: Many local companies and organizations in both the private and public sector also contribute by holding Iftar banquets, Ramadan Tents, and other charitable events.