Princess Basma Launches Social Enterprise
19-10-2022 10:53 AM
Ammon News - HRH Princess Basma bint Talal, Honorary President of the Save the Children, Tuesday launched the Curio and Fudolio Early Learning Network that is affiliated with Save the Children and a leading social enterprise model for early childhood care and education for underserved communities.
The network seeks to provide a sustainable and impactful model of high-quality kindergartens in across the country to streamline children's access to early education.
The Network's model sets aside a certain percentage of the fees collected through early learning centres to support other kindergartens in underserved communities by prioritising a play-based environment for kids.
Attending the opening ceremony taking place at the Curio preschool in Amman, Princess Basma said, "Every child in Jordan deserves a better start and opportunity. We believe in the right of all children for education; there should be equal opportunities for all children in early education."
"We highly believe in the importance of community solutions, where Curio and Fudolio is exclusively designed for women entrepreneurs and the local community as well," she said, explaining that community-based solutions designed by individuals within the communities themselves are effective and more impactful.
Omar Shoqom, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Save the Children Jordan said the model of social institutions is inspired by Save the Children Jordan where self-reliance is encouraged to further achieve and maintain sustainability as a core strategy instead of relying on grants and external assistance.
Shoqom added that Save the Children promotes job creation and economic empowerment for women in local communities by supporting local women entrepreneurs in becoming vetted and trained based on Curio and Fudolio’s core values and educational philosophy.
The Executive Director of Save the Children Jordan, Diala Khamra noted that Curio and Fudolio would leverage the best educational systems and practices for children.
"Our main nurseries and kindergarten houses in the governorates are run by women entrepreneurs, who were equally competing and chosen in an open competition under specific selection criteria set in alignment with Curio’s values and educational culture," she said.
Ettaf Maliki, one of the pioneers and entrepreneurs engaged in the network with 30 years of experience in education, spoke about the ways Save the Children supported her in establishing her kindergarten, especially in Al Zarqa.
"If it was not for the support of Save the Children, my project would not have seen the light of joining the network," Maliki said.
Nisreen Abdul Latif, who contributed to the opening and sustainability of her project, believes that in addition to the financial support for the establishment of the kindergarten, Save the Children’s training contributed to improving the skills and knowledge of teachers in the educational process and classroom management.
All nurseries and kindergartens under Curio and Fudolio follow the same approach and philosophy of education and adhere to the best educational practices that ensure the physical, intellectual and emotional development of children of different abilities and needs.