Jordanian Apps Solve Global Real-Life Issues
By Hala Al-Momani l
In trendy Weibdeh district cafes and start-ups in Amman, an open welcoming office space has young coders shoulder to shoulder in rows facing computer screens. Coffee surrounding them, code on the screen, mission in front of them — they are not coding phone applications. They are coding solutions to some of the world’s most eerie threats.
Jordan, that icon of beauty and strength, is emerging as the surprise center of socially responsible technology. New waves of technology tycoons are developing web products that rock one corner — and transform lives. From medical and education software that spills over into websites that assist refugees and the disabled, Jordanian innovation is increasingly being driven by heart — and not only by efficiency.
Amman to the World: Tech That Heals
It was Jordanian programmers who created “Altibbi,” the largest and initial online medicine in the Middle East, in 2021. They started with a small Arabic medical dictionary but now it is a full-fledged telemedicine app with anonymous guidance, AI-driven symptom-checking, and even live doctor consultations — all of which is incredibly useful in rural or underserved areas.
With over 20 million users across the Arab world, Altibbi has been a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in communities with limited healthcare infrastructure. “Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege,” says co-founder Jalil Allabadi. “Technology can bridge that gap — and we’re proving it from here in Jordan.”
Learning Without Borders
And then “JoAcademy,” a startup that specializes in education technology, started providing prep courses to Jordanian students for exams. It now has over 1.5 million Jordanian students watching on-demand video classes, quizzes, and certified instructors instructing maths to Arabic literature.
When the pandemic shuttered schools, JoAcademy partnered with the Jordan Ministry of Education to produce free learning programs on public television — so children who don’t even have the internet can learn.
Code That Empowers Refugees
Getting work and getting services is challenging enough for more than 650,000 registered Syrian refugees in Jordan. Technology is leveling the playing field, though.
Learn. “ReBootKamp (RBK),” an English language coding, team work, and full-stack coding bootcamp that trains young adults — refugees included — and gets them hired at a phenomenal rate. 90% of RBK graduates are hired within six months of graduation, with many grads getting placed into remote global tech jobs.
Among them is Aya, who is currently a fintech developer for an European firm. “RBK didn’t teach me to code — it taught me to think about myself,” she maintains. “Now I can support my family and dream bigger than I used to.”
Digital Inclusion for All
Accessibility is also increasing, as a Jordanian entrepreneur created software for the handicapped. “Mind Rockets Inc.” manufactures assistive technology that converts web pages, news, and mobile phone messages to sign language avatars.
Its top-seller, “Sign Language Interpreter,” enables deaf and hard-of-hearing customers to receive routine services, from money and banking on the bus to government documents and more, at window services. With over 250,000 installations in ministries, hospitals, and schools, the technology is soaring high in the Middle East.
No. There are green screen computer programs — some of which are doing their bit for making the world a pleasant place to be, incidentally. “Akhdar”, or “green”, in Arabic is one of a chain of green efforts from Jordan that encourage green living through real deeds, carbon monitoring, and fun.
Akhdar comprises engineers and environmentalists. Akhdar works with schools and NGOs in order to get users involved in raising awareness about climate change and sustainability. The platform worked with Jordan Green Building Council recently with the hope of impacting green behavior among youth and young professionals.
A Culture of Purposeful Innovation
Jordan. Jordan’s tech-for-good culture is. It works, not in spite of its shortcomings, but because of them. Enormous natural resources, large youth unemployment rates, and record-high numbers of refugees migrating. Need has genuinely been the mother of invention.
These organizations, like Oasis500 and Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC), are building this ecosystem through investment, mentoring, and co-working space for early-stage technology social impact startups. Women predominate, and women constitute over 35% of technology startup founders in Jordan.
The Jordanian Way Forward
Whereas the rest of the world is faced with care crises and climate crises and inequality, Jordan is doing it silently behind the scenes to provide us solutions — not by unwinding the Gordian knot, but by soft speak, innovation design, and people-centric technology.
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