Discovering a Community’s ‘Hidden Gems’

The Zikra Initiative started in 2007, when founder Rabee Zureikat decided to challenge the norms of charities. The initiative focuses on an exchange of resources and knowledge in the community of Ghor Al Mazra’a in western Jordan, instead of one party being the “giver” and the other a “receiver”.

Through “exchange tourism”, city residents pay to go to Ghor Al-Mazra’a or offer workshops to community residents, and in return, locals teach visitors traditional skills and culture that are often lost in modern urban society. Other programs include an art and culture exchange, an eco-program, and a health and lifestyle program.

Zikra now offers tours for kids that include educational and rural activities; corporate tours with team-building and communication skills activities; or tours for university students to add knowledge to their field of study.

For more info – http://www.zikrainitiative.org