College and University Monitor

Saddam grew up as an orphan a refugee camp in Jerash, an area known for its archeological ruins in Jordan. Called Souf Refugee Camp, the area is home to more than 20,000 Palestinians, who fled the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It was there, in that contrasting reality where tourism meets those displaced by conflict, that Saddam had his first job: he was a young boy selling tea and coffee to tourists.

His social enterprise iLearn project started as an academic support program that works in the informal education side with very little funds, creating a social impact model that can easily be replicated anywhere in the world at a very low budget. “I didn’t have this perception and knowledge when I started ‘I Learn’, but I learned all these concepts such as sustainability, impact, and model, through my journey,” Sayyaleh tells.