Visits Home-Based Food Business Run by Firyal Kofahi in Irbid’s Hawar Village

by Zef Dahlia - 22:11

On Wednesday August 30th, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah paid a visit to Firyal Kofahi's home-based kitchen in Irbid's Hawar village as part of her efforts to support and highlight economic empowerment options for women.

Her Majesty was greeted by Firyal Kofahi and her husband, Ahmad Dahadha, and spoke with Kofahi about the origins of her kitchen, its growth over the years, and her future goal for the business. Kofahi's kitchen presently employs ten women, some of them are Syrian refugees who have been educated by Kofahi herself in the preparation of traditional Jordanian foods.

Speaking to the Queen about her achievement, Kofahi told Her Majesty that in 2015, she applied for a grant from USAID's Jordan Local Enterprise Support Project, which she utilised to manage a full-fledged kitchen that employed a significant number of community women. Kofahi was able to send her eight children to university and help local women earn a living and learn a range of culinary skills thanks to the income from the kitchen.

Kofahi went on to tell Her Majesty that the COVID-19 outbreak had caused her to close her old kitchen, which catered to local clients as well as university students and employees, and conduct her business from home.

Her Majesty also spoke with the women who work with Kofahi in the kitchen, who recounted their stories and the impact their work has had on improving their livelihoods. The Queen then gave Kofahi financial assistance to help expand the kitchen and hire more community men and women.

Following that, the Queen assisted the ladies in creating a traditional Jordanian dish, Makmoura, an experience offered to tourists visiting Kofahi's home, and she examined some of the women's homemade products and food items. In honour of Her Majesty's forthcoming birthday, Kofahi and her team presented her with a home-baked cake and expressed their delight in meeting her, as well as their gratitude for her ongoing support and encouragement.

Kofahi's kitchen has helped draw attention to Hawar's beauty and keep the local culinary culture alive by serving real, home-style cuisine from the north of Jordan and producing a vast assortment of traditional food items including appetisers and sweets.