CRP is proud to announce that it is working in partnership with UNDP Jordan on a project that will enhance the self-reliance and inclusion prospects of displaced-affected communities in Amman. Part of the Heart of Amman initiative and funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the project aims to create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for Iraqi refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.
The Heart of Amman initiative collaborates with the Greater Amman Municipality and the Ministry of Digital Economic and Entrepreneurship to engage the private sector and angel investors to attract the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) impact investment community. Essentially, the initiative’s goal is to promote economic opportunities for sustainable livelihoods through the urban revitalization of downtown Amman. The project should focus on economic advancement and reflect the city’s cultural and historical identity to promote sustainable development. The urban revival of downtown Amman then is a development project that will reflect and express the individuality of the people who reside in the city.
With this in mind, the project is divided into four main stages: community mobilization, advocacy, urban revitalization, and psychosocial support activities. To implement each step successfully, 30 participants from the Amman community will work alongside CRP and UNDP staff as Community Committee (CC) members. CC members will be offered monthly stipends and receive training in crucial community organizing skills. This includes training on social media skills, dialogue and advocacy campaign management, leadership and needs assessment, networking, and coordination. CC members will furthermore be representative of the wider community, having equal members of both Iraqi and Jordanian nationality, including at least 30% women and 50% youth (age 18-29). Alongside this, the recruitment process of CC members will also ensure the representation of persons with disabilities and members of different ethnic groups. CC members will ultimately facilitate roundtable discussions between local authorities, government organizations, the private sector, development partners, and the donor community. These discussions will help produce an advocacy paper on the needs and challenges facing Iraqi refugees/migrants and Jordanian host communities. This paper will help UNDP Urban Development Specialists define and implement ten community-approved urban heritage revitalization initiatives.
Towards the end of the project, 12 CCs will take part in four training events. These events will cover Healthy Communities, Psychological First Aid and Introduction to Coaching, and Coaching and Enhanced Community Outreach. Upon completion, these training events will allow the 12 CC members to become community health and wellbeing advocates. These members will be equipped to provide advice and guidance to community members seeking support in CRP’s Hashemi and Downtown Community Centers. This psychosocial element of the project aims to provide safe spaces for community members to discuss mental health issues. In line with this, upon being recruited to the CC, all members will be offered places in CRP’s Psychosocial Support programs. These programs range from support groups to stress and anxiety management programs to create art and calligraphy programs.
It is important to note that many development projects, throughout their implementation, do not incorporate members of the wider community, particularly the migrant community. Through their recruitment of CC members, both CRP and UNDP emphasize their understanding that it is often migrants and other vulnerable community members that know the needs of their community best. As CC members will both work and exist within their communities, positive relationships between Iraqi migrants and Jordanian locals will form. As the project continues and relationships are strengthened, CRP hopes that the integration of migrants into Amman will become easier.
If you would like to read more about the project or think you have what it takes to become a CC member, you can follow this link. The Heart of Amman initiative speaks to CRPs mission, and our team is extremely excited to start working alongside UNDP!
Eliza Ward, Marketing and Communications team
Collateral Repair Project, 2021