A few years ago, Oprah interviewed Beyonce (this is deffo pre Lemonade, we’re talking circa 2013) for her Life Is But A Dream documentary. Ms. O ended the interview by saying “After watching Life is But a Dream, I have to tell you that I come away reminded of that line in a Maya Angelou poem that says: You make me proud to spell my name W-O-M-A-N.”
That never left me.
Born and raised in Jordan, Farrah Matalka is a force to be reckoned with. The 26 year old beauty has helped change the lives of countless men, women and children through her initiative وهب الفرح; Giving Joy.
After a high school trip to Africa at the age of 16, Farrah’s life changed.
“I used to think it was my right to an education, it was my right to have a school bag and it was my right to have new school books. That trip really opened my eyes. It wasn’t my right… I am so privileged and lucky.” She continues, “We really lack a sense of gratitude, we don’t know how to practice it. My whole outlook on life has changed since then. I practice gratitude every day, because that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. That’s why I created The Joy Planner.”
The Joy Planner is a journal Farrah has created that allows you to practice gratitude, set your goals and have a clear vision of what you want. Proceeds help give children in need access to proper education. The journal is available on Noon.com
In order to start this beautiful journey, Farrah had to reach out to people and spread her message. With over 44,000 followers on Instagram, social media was the right way to have started, but what if she hadn’t?
“I was terrified to go public. I was living in Bali and my friend asked me “Why don’t you go public?” and I was shocked. The idea of having a public account wasn’t as common as it is now. In Jordan, you don’t just put your life on display for everyone to see, but I’m grateful to her for pushing me to do it. I remember the exact moment I went public, it was in November of 2018.”
“The most fulfilling part is that I get to see people from all around the world believe in my mission. People from all over the world are buying my planner and I didn’t expect it at all. To see people in Australia, Spain and Algeria taking part and donating; it’s amazing. That being said, the hardest part was the criticism that came along with it. People would say “She’s doing it for the publicity.” or “If you wanna give back, do it privately. There’s no need to post about it.” and that used to make me so sad and angry. It doesn’t anymore. The happiness that comes from وهب الفرح is all that matters to me.”
As we took a deep dive into her ‘Gram, we couldn’t help but notice a beautiful baby angel called Yasmeen. “That was my most heartbreaking case.”, she says. “At only 3 days old, we found out that Yasmeen had to undergo surgery; she was born with a heart that was located on the right side of her chest.”
“We were able to raise the money and she had the surgery. I stood there and watched it all happen. I saw her little heart in her open chest, I saw the fear in her mother’s eyes and that really changed me… How can it not?”
As a fellow Jordanian woman, I’m all too familiar with doubtful eyes and lack of confidence. So how did Farrah overcome the every day struggles we Arab women face?
“You can do it all. You can have it all. Everyone doubted me at first. When our cases involve building houses for homeless families, I have to go downtown and negotiate with plumbers and electricians. They’d mock me at first and ask “What’s a little lady like you gonna do?” and now they praise me. I made it a point to believe in myself and prove them wrong. Now, they treat me with the utmost respect when I walk in. Respect and equality that I earned; that every woman in the Arab world deserves.”
You can also help Farrah’s cause by reaching out to her personal Instagram @farrahmatalka or Giving Joy’s instagram @giving.joyy
Oh and Farrah, you make me proud to spell my name W-O-M-A-N.