We are pleased to welcome 8 members of staff from Al-Masar (Child Development Services) in Amman who are participating in our Distance Learning Programme in Jordan this year. Over the next year, these dedicated individuals will receive monthly tutorials, complete a series of Written Assignments, participate in a weekend training to develop practical music skills, and then put their learning into practice by running weekly music sessions for small groups of young children with disabilities.

By the end of the course they will have the knowledge, experience and confidence to integrate music sessions into their activities, creating opportunities for as many as 226 children to access music at Al-Masar.

We are looking forward to working once more with Fabienne van Eck (Musicians Without Borders Regional Program Manager Middle East and Trainer) who will be supporting the participants through the course and guiding our understanding of the local context. This project really wouldn’t be possible without her.

Situated in Amman, Al-Masar (Child Development Services) was established in 2006 by a group of experienced professionals passionate about the fields of rehabilitation and special education. Recognizing a dearth of comprehensive and quality services for children with special needs, Al-Masar was founded with the vision to be a centre of excellence that recruits the highest calibre of professionals providing children with special needs and their families with a comprehensive range of educational and therapeutic services.

We are grateful to Al-Masar, Musicians Without Borders and Soka Gakkai for the value they place on the role music can play for young children with disabilities and look forward to working together in the coming year.

Take a look at where else our Distance Learning Programme is running this year.