Fashion Business takes off thanks to USAID-funded grant to youth initiative

How could one Facebook post change the path of someone’s life? That is what happened to 24-year-old Rama Rababah from Zarqa who dreamed of being a fashion designer. Rama found the USAID YouthPower Facebook Group and connected with USAID's YouthPower Innovation Fund. “I discovered that personal financing was not enough to grow my initiative into the impactful local business I envisioned, so when I saw the size of impact other youth were making, I felt like I found the gateway that could make my dream come true.” The workshops she attended inspired Rama to expand her initial fashion design idea to include economic empowerment of women in her community.

With an in-kind grant from USAID, Rama reached out to three unemployed women in her community and trained them in sewing, fashion design, project management, financial management and digital marketing. After the COVID-19 pandemic Rama and her team of three conducted training sessions for more women in their community. Using funding from the in-kind grant, Rama's newly-created fashion company, ARANDS Fashion, provided three women with sewing machines and a kit to start designing and sewing industry-standard fashionable clothing for women.

“I envision ARANDS Fashion to one day grow into a training center that provides large numbers of women with vocational training and the skills necessary to launch their own businesses.”  USAID is proud to work with and highlight the successes of female youth like Rama who are engaged citizens and productive members of society and advocate for themselves and others.

Since 2017, USAID has supported more than 584 youth-led initiatives through YouthPower in 60 communities in Jordan which has enabled more than 17,961 youth to realize their full potential and pursue their dreams. As the YouthPower activity comes to an end, USAID continues to empower youth to act as engaged citizens and productive members of society, to advocate for themselves, and to shape services to better prepare them to enter higher education, vocational training, and the workforce.