Hoson Al-Awadat, mother of 7 one of them with learning difficulties joined UNDP’s Emergency Project (3x6) approach against all odds. She has dedicated her life to her husband, who has taken a second wife, and her kids relentlessly for over a decade. Hoson experienced an awakening when she heard about a new project in Zarqa that promises to create job opportunities and build the skills of young Jordanians. After attending an introductory session; she decided this might be the opportunity of a life-time.
Dr. Rifat Al-Zughool, a dentist and a community activist in Ajloun has a firm belief that more awareness should be raised about the Jordanian heritage, so he decided to apply to the project “Promoting Local Economic Development in Jordan” (PLEDJ) funded by the European Delegation to Jordan to start “Sarbys Centre”. His pitch was accepted and the project was launched officially in 2014.
In a workshop that is based close to the main market area in the city of Ajloun, a group of local women from different ages has been gathering together every day to get a professional training in embroidery using brand new machines that are dedicated to this art.
In an explicitly poor “Jurf Al-Darawish”, 30 minutes away by car from the city of Tafileh, a voluntary-based women association is doing its best to make a difference in the lives of the local community, especially women, despite of resistance from society and the difficult economic situation.
While women in many rural areas in Jordan are still practicing the traditional ways of home food processing, a group of ambitious local women in Ebbin - Ajloun, are working hard to turn this process into a standardized system benefitting from the small grant Fatima Al-Momani, head of the association was awarded through the “Promoting Local Economic Development in Jordan” (PLEDJ) which is funded by the European Delegation in Jordan.
Ahmad Al-Saudi, 25 years, had always dreamt of building an environmental tourist camp in Tafileh. Although all the plans and studies of this project were almost ready in 2007, Ahmad could not achieve his dream until one year ago when he heard about the project “Promoting Local Economic Development in Jordan” (PLEDJ) funded by the European Delegation to Jordan for the first time.
37 years old Laith Smadi was an employee at a small desserts shop in a small town in Ajloun governorate. Through the project “Promoting Local Economic Development in Jordan” (PLEDJ) in Ajloun which is funded by the European Delegation to Jordan, he received a small grant for his eco-friendly business idea. With the grant, he managed to run Ajloun Forest Reserve Restaurant alone buying one knife at a time.
Through UNDP’s project Skills Exchange Between Syrians and Jordanians, which is funded by the European Regional Development and Protection Programme, Rana Aqqad and Dina Shdeifat met and bonded; a Syrian mentor and a Jordanian mentee who are now close friends learned from each other valuable life and work lessons.