Alaa Abusaif

Alaa Abusaif

Fellowship year

2016 - 2017

Field

Youth Development

Placement when a fellow

Program Coordinator - The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD)

Higher education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Current country of residence

Jordan

Biography

Alaa has two years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Hashemite University in Jordan. The knowledge in engineering that she gained during her studies gave her an opportunity to win her, “Engineers,” initiative in a democratic empowerment program under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II. While working as a Project Assistant with Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) – Jordan Regional Office, she helped provide medical services to conflict victims in southern Syria and planned responses to emergencies to minimize risk to people and medical facilities.

During the Lazord Fellowship, Alaa was placed as the program coordinator of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD). The fellowship provided her with professional and civic skills through the year-long job placement, mentoring, and trainings. As an employability program coordinator at JOHUD, she organized and coordinated a job and guidance career fair and an entrepreneurship training for job seekers in different governorates in Jordan to help them improve their technical and personal skills, and to connect them with the labor market.

Through these experiences, she developed strong organizational and communication skills and gained experience in implementing nonprofit projects. Her interests are related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), sustainable cities and communities, and the environment. She is improving her skills in these fields through online courses (MOOC) and training platforms such as edX and KAYA. Alaa believes that working in a nonprofit organization will provide her with a golden opportunity to achieve the goals she has always believed in: helping people in need, hearing the voices of the voiceless, and being a part of a great thing.