MOSD, UN WOMEN EXPAND RESILIENCE AND EMPOWERMENT SERVICES TO VULNERABLE WOMEN
Date:
The Ministry of Social Development, in partnership with UN Women, convened members of the international community in a dialogue centered on the needs of vulnerable women in Jordan and their economic empowerment, including in the context of the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.
During the session, the Ministry of Social Development announced plans to expand the "Oasis Model", implemented in partnership with UN Women, to include additional community centers.
H.E. Mr. Ayman Mufleh, Minister of Social Development, said that “the ‘Oasis’ model consists in the provision of integrated services to vulnerable women, with the aim of promoting an enabling environment for their economic and social empowerment, including through protection, access to education and skills development, civic leadership and participation, men and boys engagement.”
During the dialogue, the Minister added that since the launch of the first "Oasis" center in 2019, the Ministry of Social Development and UN Women worked to expand the project to include thirteen community centers in the governorates of Amman, Ajloun, Al-Balqa, Jerash, Karak, Madaba, Maan, Al-Tafiyah and Zarqa. UN Women also runs four centers in the Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps. The "Oasis" model provides tools for economic participation and empowerment, while addressing the broader social challenges that prevent women from entering the labor market.
In 2020, the services of the "Oasis" centers, including direct cash assistance, access to protection services, distance learning and raising awareness about the COVID-19 epidemic and preventive measures, directly reached 13151 women and girls, while 65,000 others were reached indirectly. In addition, 3,000women who benefited from the project’s services implemented by the Ministry of Social Development were able to start their own small businesses.
“Over the years, Italy recognized the added value of the OASIS programme and its holistic “resilience and empowerment approach” designed to build the short- and medium-term resilience of Syrian refugee and vulnerable Jordanian women, addressing not only the immediate skills needed for economic participation, but also the broader social challenges that prevent the empowerment of women and their entry into the labor market.” H.E. Mr. Fabio Cassese, Ambassador of Italy to Jordan.
H.E. Mr. Bernard Lynch, Ambassador of Australia to Jordan said: “We are proud to be long-standing supporters of the UN Women’s Oasis Model which strengthens the resilience, protection and empowerment of women in Jordan, working towards the achievement of sustainable development goals.”
Moving forward, the Ministry of Social Development and UN Women seek to scale up the number of ‘Oasis’ centers across the Kingdom, while strengthening those pillars of the model that are necessary for women’s resilience in the COVID-19 era and support the long-term recovery of their families and communities. This is paired with ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional capacities on gender equality and women’s empowerment, with the Ministry of Social Development leading as one of the first public institutions in Jordan to endorse a comprehensive framework to institutionalize gender mainstreaming.
‘Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards more resilient and prosperous communities. As UN Women, we commend the Ministry’s efforts to expand services to women most in need and to drive strategic partnerships on long-terms national priorities on gender equality and women’s empowerment‘ said Mr. Ziad Sheikh, UN Women Jordan Representative.
The implementation and expansion of the ‘Oasis’ model is generously supported by the Governments of Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Japan, Italy through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Iceland, and the European Union Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis (the EU Madad Fund).
The Ministry of Social Development will continue to monitor the implementation of the project, evaluating each stage of the process and conducting regular needs assessment, in addition to securing funds to cover the running costs of each center related to electricity and water.
The Minister Al-Mufleh also requested that one of the outputs of these capacity building trainings provided to women will be focusing on opening new opportunities for them to benefit from the productive families program, which provides low-interest loans to establish small businesses. This scheme is aligned with the developmental needs of poverty pockets, with the aim of supporting vulnerable women economically and socially by providing permanent job opportunities.
The Ministry will also provide logistical support to women through implementation, monitoring and marketing operations.
Available in Arabic here.
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