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Integrated Community Development |
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Integrated
Community Development "True security is not only a matter of protecting borders from military aggression, but of providing a stable environment for all citizens, women and men of all races and creeds, to participate fully in commercial and political life.” - Her Majesty Queen Noor QUALITY
OF LIFE PROJECT The Quality of Life (QOL) Project was initiated in 1989 with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pioneering model for comprehensive human development to improve the overall quality of life of underprivileged communities throughout Jordan. The QOL Project, which has reached 20 villages, responds to Jordan’s development needs by training and supporting people in the planning, management, and evaluation of social and economic development schemes. This is made possible by setting up grassroots development councils and funds, and technical support committees. The project accelerates the process of need identification, project implementation, democratic community participation, and social cohesion.
This unique grassroots Project integrates labor-intensive and self-employment schemes with health, education, environmental awareness, and community participation. QOL has gained international recognition as a regional training center for its participatory approach to rural development. Loan Program The Quality of Life Project regards the Loan Program a fundamental component in alleviating poverty. It established four revolving local credit funds in the villages to assist families in initiating micro-enterprises and promote self-reliance. One credit fund, with support from the UNESCO, is specifically targeted to help meet the basic needs of underprivileged children. Another fund, supported by CitiBank targets women entrepreneurs in northern Jordan. The Development and Employment Fund, a major Jordanian governmental lending institution funded by the EU, has recently awarded another loan to the QOL Credit Village Fund, to enhance and expand its capital funds in 18 villages. In total, the Loan Program has disbursed over 1412 loans, maintaining an average repayment rate of over 85 %, with a portfolio of approximately US$1 million. It has enabled the beneficiaries to start up income-generating projects in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, cottage industries, handicrafts, and services. These include: Home gardens, dairy products, fishponds, and computer training centers. Social Activities Over 35,000 women and children have benefited from the Quality of Life Project’s social activities that include establishing and supporting kindergartens, libraries, and children’s educational activities. The project also provides and encourages women’s literacy classes, raising awareness on health, family planning, environmental education, promoting women’s and children’s rights, and gender issues.
Nurseries and Kindergartens The Quality of Life Project benefits thousands of rural children by supporting and upgrading nurseries and kindergartens in its villages. Pre-school teachers are trained on teaching skills; in addition, the Quality of Life Project provides classes with much needed furniture as well as simple educational and recreational tools and equipment.
Mobile Life and Science Museum To enrich and broaden children’s knowledge, the Mobile Life and Science Museum, in coordination with the Haya Cultural Center, tours villages and remote areas of the country. The Museum’s exhibit focuses on health and hygiene, the sciences, environmental protection and the history of Jordan. It features a popular children’s library, a traveling theater and puppet show which address several development issues such as gender equity, environment and healthy practices. The Mobile Museum has touched the lives of rural needy children across Jordan.
The Quality of Life Project, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, UN agencies, and the private sector, organizes health education, health awareness campaigns, mobile clinics visits, and promotes the use of primary health facilities. Thousands of families benefit annually from these activities. To create a sustainable, healthy and safe environment in remote villages, the Quality of Life Project establishes Environment Clubs in community schools. The Clubs targets students between the ages of 7-15 and trains them to become health and environmental change agents among their families and communities. The Environment Clubs encourage children to discuss environmental problems in their villages, organize clean-up campaigns and produce pamphlets related to environmental issues and village concerns. The Clubs hold annual events, such as exhibitions and speaker programs on the environment.
Mothers’ Clubs The Quality of Life Project organizes Mothers’ Clubs that promote civic rights, democracy and human rights, where women are trained to become effective agents of development. Through workshops, public education and motivational sessions, the Clubs help women become informed decision-makers, skilled income-earners and active leaders in the development of their families and communities. The Clubs organize literacy classes and workshops on family health, breast cancer and child delinquency, benefiting thousands of village women. Other workshops and seminars are also organized to address youth issues, such as smoking, drug abuse, school dropout, and promotion of civic responsibility. Regional Training Center The Regional Training Center has until today qualified more than 2000 village leaders, with a 47% gender ratio of women to men, on this unique development methodology. In addition to its on-going training for local committees, the Center has trained over 350 key people and decision makers from 22 countries in the region including Bahrain, Tunisia, Egypt, Oman, Morocco, Yemen, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Qatar on the Quality of Life methodology. NHF was successful in providing technical assistance and extending income generation expertise to several countries in the region. The Quality of Life Project and its Regional Training Center has been officially recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a successful model of integrated community development and a qualified trainer on this approach for the Middle East and North Africa Region. Success Stories Latifeh Al Shawaheen (Um Nawaf) from Mukhibeh in northern Jordan, aged 61, with a family of 36 members, received a loan from the Quality of Life Credit Program to purchase a tractor to expand her banana farm, creating job opportunities for herself and family. Now, a committed member of the Local Development Community and the Mothers’ Project Development Committee, Latifeh is taking part in educational and motivational meetings to share her experience with other residents of the community to help them improve their quality of life. Upon finishing her primary school education, Samira
Khelif, now aged 25. had to leave school for financial reasons. Now, an active member in the Quality of Life project, she has proven to be a bright and able student, learning and perfecting the craft of bamboo and haliva leaf basket weaving. This resulted in her joining the “International Environment Day” in Amman where she won the “Ideal Jordanian Family Award” because of her success in helping transform the basketry and weaving project into a successful marketable handicraft trade in her community and nearby villages. IRAQ AL AMIR PROJECT The Iraq Al Amir Project was initiated in 1994 through a grant from the Jordanian-Swiss Counterpart Fund to accelerate comprehensive socio-economic development in five villages in the Wadi Seer area, west of the capital, Amman. The Project renovated 10 historic farmhouses which overlook a second-century BC Hellenistic archaeological site, enhancing its tourist appeal and increasing benefits to the community. The Project transformed the area into a handicrafts village, hosting market-oriented workshops that encourage women’s initiatives and revive traditional Jordanian crafts through environmentally-friendly practices.
Artisans produce hand-woven fabric, ceramic handicrafts, and handmade paper, utilizing indigenous palm fronds, banana leaves, and okra stems. The Project also has a Food Processing Center that reaps the rich agricultural wealth of the area. Through its comprehensive approach towards development, the Iraq Al Amir Project provided health services, supplied sanitation facilities, and ensured an equitable and efficient water distribution system for agriculture. The Project aims to propagate the endangered national flower of Jordan, the Black Iris, in its natural habitat in Iraq Al Amir. The Iraq Al Amir Handicraft Village is also hosting an IT center. This project started in 2001 and was established in cooperation with The Royal Commission for Information Technology Community Centers (ITCC) in Jordan, subsidized until May 2003 by UNDP and the National Information Center. The objective of this project is to provide training and IT access to the local community at low fees, and to assist in increasing productivity of the community of Iraq Al Amir. The Project has touched the lives of the 6000 inhabitants of the community. In 2002, the management of the Iraq Al Amir project was turned over to the local community, the Iraq Al Amir Women's Cooperative, ensuring self-reliance and long-term sustainability. Contact Information: Noor
Al Hussein Foundation |
