23-11-2015
Funded by Coca-Cola Foundation National Beverage Company Coca-Cola/Cappy and INJAZ Palestine launch the 8th Season of "Ripples of Happiness" Program
Ramallah – The National Beverage Company Coca-Cola/Cappy (NBC) and INJAZ Palestine Foundation launched the Eighth Season of Ripples of Happiness Program with funding from Coca-Cola Foundation. The Program aims at empowering the students of Palestinian universities and institutes to implement entrepreneur projects that positively influence the course of community development.
The 8th Season of the Programs is implemented in four Palestinian universities: Birzeit University, An-Najah National University, Palestine Polytechnic University, and Andaleeb College for Nursing and Midwifery College (https://www.facebook.com/Andaleeb-Al-Amad-college-for-Nursing-and-Midwifery-409447265837586/) in Nablus. Simultaneously, 25 student teams from 22 Arab universities in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, and UAE are receiving training with the Program.
The Program includes several phases through which volunteers from the private sector provide the participating students with the knowledge to enable them to apply and practice what they learn in their institutions by interacting with and active involvement in their communities. Further, the Program goals focus in promoting the principles of affiliation and social responsibility of the students and providing them with entrepreneurship skills, financial education and readiness for the labor market by offering the students an opportunity to explore their individual and professional interests, as well as to explore the available job opportunities, in addition to teaching them the key principles for employment readiness.
The General Manger of the National Beverage Company Coca-Cola/Cappy (NBC), Mr. Imad al-Hindi, said “we are keen to contribute to instilling the spirit of responsibility, participation and voluntary work in the Palestinian youth, and to prepare them to be involved in the labor market and participate in it efficiently and effectively. NBC supports development and youth enterprises like Ripples of Happiness Program to participate in refining the skills and capacities of the Palestinian youth to use their potentials that will excel to make a positive change in their local communities, positively impact and bring about improvement in the living standards and inspire the young generations.”
Mr. al-Hindi valued the ongoing partnership with INJAZ Palestine, noting that the launch of the 8th Season of Ripples of Happiness Program reflects NBC’s commitment to provide material and human capabilities needed to implement the ideas of the Palestinian youth, as well as to develop and adopt such ideas in form of initiatives that constitute the start of more and larger enterprises in terms of targeting the marginalized areas and enhancing the potential of such enterprises to build a dynamic and sustainable community.
On her part, Ms. Randa Salameh, General Manager of INJAZ Palestine, appreciated the fruitful and ongoing partnership with NBC for the fourth year in a row, during which the 8th Season of Ripples of Happiness Program is implemented. She asserted the importance of Ripples of Happiness Program, which provides university and college students in Palestine with an excellent opportunity to present pilot and constructive projects that contribute to the development and promotion of the society and the various sectors. Salameh commended the role of the trainers and volunteers who participated with their time and efforts toward the success of the programs and enabling the students to present entrepreneurial initiatives to serve the community.
Salameh explained: “Ripples of Happiness targets this group of the youth who are young and going through the stage of boosting their personality and capacities, and who are in the peak of their activeness and creativity and look for motivation and a place that embraces their potentials to empower them to propose entrepreneurial initiatives and enterprises and establish the spirit of responsibility in them as well as make positive change in their communities”
She added: “We, in INJAZ Palestine, believe that the Palestinian youth is the potential for future change in the society and we believe that investment in the Youth and their potentials is one of the top priorities, which we are committed to provide and observe.”
