"I consider such activities a gift of gratitude for my existence in this life and an appreciation for my age."

Ms. Subhiyeh Jaber, 64 years old, from Jordan

"I did not work before, because I have been a housewife since I was 14. My house and my children are my main responsibility and are what I spend most of my time on. I have no friends, only neighbors; sometimes we visit each other to break the routine. However, despite being visited by guests and neighbors, I get bored with the daily routine at home. I hope go away, away from this routine; to do something new and different from what I’m doing.”

I have never had a job. I have been a housewife since I was 14 years old. I dedicate all of my time and effort to my home and children, which occupy most of my time. My only friends are my neighbors; we exchange visits from time to time, but despite their visits, I feel very bored with the daily routine. I hope to do something different, even if for a few days, something new and different with which I can overcome this boredom.”

"From time to time I busy myself with sewing. I love sewing a lot. Every now and then I redesign my loungewear, altering their shapes and designs. Some other times, I practice a different hobby such as making cheese and dairy at home. I love sewing a lot, so from time to time I used to I keep myself busy with it, adjusting my clothes, sometimes even completely redesigning them, and some other times I would beat the boredom by making cheese and yogurt at home.

God has blessed me with good health and a good life with my children, for which I am very thankful. But life is not without emotional and mental stress caused by the monotony of life, which of course will negatively affect our life.

Fortunately, I found about “Bayt Alkhebrah” (House of Expertise) project implemented by the Solidarity Is Global Institute and funded by HelpAge International from my daughter Ala’a Al-Obaidi, who is a youth member of the Institute. This project was my escape away from the routine at home, and a reason to regain my energy and passion for learning and doing new activities that I would not have learned without it, which made me happy. It also helped me expand my network of friends, as I got to know women of my age who share the same interests.

Every activity I participated in had the most impact on my emotional wellbeing and self-esteem and made me happy I remember participating in one of the recreational activities, which took me back in time; I consider it as a gift of gratitude for my existence in this life and an appreciation for my age being considered an older woman.

Such activities contribute to raising the level of knowledge of older people and helps them thrive and prosper in life. I befriended many of the women who participated in the activities and we kept in touch.

“I hope that both stakeholders and the society will always take older people into consideration in their activities, as we, older people, need to explore broader horizons beyond our families. We need support, attention and constant change, and we also need a space in which we can express ourselves and practice our hobbies with our peers, as this has a positive impact on our lives."