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About the Organization

INJAZ Al-Arab believes in the limitless potential of viable opportunities for young people in the Arab world. Together with the private and public sectors, their programs provide hands-on learning in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship skills. INJAZ Al-Arab's teams of enthusiastic, dedicated, and visionary practitioners are committed to inspiring, preparing, and empowering Arab youth to succeed in the global economy. INJAZ Al-Arab's vision is to make a difference in the Middle East and North Africa region by helping to create a sense of self-motivation, confidence, empowerment, and a mindset that 'anything is possible' among Arab youth. They also foster a spirit of mentorship, passion, and service among business leaders in the Arab world. Their approach is based on the creation and implementation of effective empowerment programs for students that provide them with the tools they need to learn, grow, develop, and lead. 

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Youth unemployment in the Arab region is the highest in the world.

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INJAZ prepares young people to find their way in life, teaching entrepreneurship, work and life skills as part of the regular school curriculum.

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Soraya Salti seeks to instill Arab youth with a sense of self-motivation and confidence, and build enthusiasm in the business sector to support and mentor young people.

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INJAZ has worked with more than 2 million youth in more than 700 schools. 87 percent found work within a year of graduation.

Ambition for Change

Classrooms in low-income communities launch exciting business ventures run by student entrepreneurs, developing critical thinking skills, and the ability to become agents of change for themselves and their societies. 

Path to Scale

Program Growth and Partnership: Each INJAZ country program is an independent organization, affiliated with the network through the regional umbrella while engaging its local business and educational partners. 

Skoll Awardee
Soraya Salti

Senior Vice President of Middle East/North Africa for Junior Achievement Worldwide, INJAZ al-Arab

When Soraya Salti took over INJAZ in 2001, it was challenging to deliver an educational program in Jordan. She turned it around, then raised her sights. INJAZ today is a leading educational program in the Arab region, teaching entrepreneurship, work, and life skills as part of the regular school curriculum. With INJAZ, students learn by doing, actually conceptualizing business ideas, writing business plans, teaming up with other students and even starting businesses. INJAZ has accomplished what no other group in the Arab world has done: recruited more than 10,000 Arab business people annually to go into classrooms and volunteer their time. Soraya’s innovation was to bring in the Junior Achievement model, adapted to reflect the region and culture, and emphasizing confidence-building and leadership alongside business and entrepreneurial skills. INJAZ links students to the job market through job fairs, internships, and other activities. 

INJAZ Al- Arab is the regional operating center of JA worldwide (JA MENA).  Operating in 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, INJAZ Al-Arab is the largest non-profit organization dedicated to overcoming unemployment in the region and aims to inspire a culture of entrepreneurship and business innovation among Arab youth. Named one of the top 100 NGOs in the world by Global Journal/NGO Advisor since 2012, INJAZ Al-Arab has influenced the lives of over 3 million students since its inception in 2004. INJAZ Al-Arab is a member of Junior Achievement; the world’s largest and fastest-growing youth business organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.

Current President & CEO for the region is Akef Aqrabawi

Impact & Accomplishments
  • INJAZ has reached over 3.5 million youth since its inception nearly 15 years ago, and aims to reach 1 million youth annually by 2022. 
  • INJAZ's public-private partnerships have brought over 88,000 corporate volunteers into public school classrooms to deliver its programs. With collaborations including 4,213 schools and 346 universities in the region, the impact and necessity of the INJAZ programs have become very apparent in MENA. 

 

Affiliated
Dima Almasri
Regional PR & Communications Manager, INJAZ al-Arab
Akef Aqrabawi
President & CEO, INJAZ al-Arab
Soraya Salti
Senior Vice President of Middle East/North Africa for Junior Achievement Worldwide, INJAZ al-Arab
In the News
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