“How the Other Half Lives”: Poverty in Amman, Jordan

Dumpster diving.  Begging.  It’s all here in Jordanian society.  But I don’t see anyone going really going hungry because of the family and tribal system in Jordan.  Jordanians are the richest people on Earth in terms of always having someone to depend on and to look for strength and community; they are never forsaken by faith or by family.  Being a tribal society, there is always someone in Jordan to help someone else from the same tribe.  It is in the hospitable nature that Jordanians help each other and treat other with kindness before everything else fails.

I live in West Amman, which is where privileged, rich Jordanians and the upper middle class live.  Just reminding myself of this reality makes me realize that there still is poverty in East Amman and unfortunate situations.  I have not personally traveled to East Amman, but you can only imagine that there are some who don’t have basic internet in their homes, cannot pay their utility bills, or do not eat vegetables and fruits on a regular basis.  But they continue to live with a sense of assurance because of faith (Islam) and family, which is bound by cultural responsibility to not forsake each other.

A camera and access to East Amman neighborhoods could be an eye-opener account of stories for the impoverished in Amman.  A knowledgeable professor once told me that when the state cannot seem to step in to provide social benefits, then societies and communities step in to fulfill those duties.  People do not go hungry at night in Amman because the idea of zakaat or alms to the needy is ingrained in Islamic culture as well as it is a shared belief in Christianity. 

Last Friday, I witnessed how Jordanians convened together in a modern café for good food and drinks to talk about urban planning and development in Amman.  They talked about the future of Amman and development in the city regarding the different neighborhoods.  The commentators discussed which cities resembled some of Amman’s characteristics, including American cities, Damascus and Beirut.  Amman is booming, but there is still a lot of development take place.  Nevertheless, it’s very hopeful to see Jordanians, members of the community and middle to upper class members of society, talk about these issues in their city and propose solutions for their society.

When you first step into the streets of Amman, you say, “This is a very poor country.  There is not enough water; the city is overcrowded.”  But families stick together stronger than blood in this city; wealth is measured in family and faith, not possessions.  Without family, you have no support system in this city.  And Amman and the rest of Jordan are developing – it’s only a matter of time.  This is how Islamic culture societies fundamentally differ from Western culture societies: family and one’s community/tribe is everything, and they will never forsake you - never leave you begging for crumbs.