JORDAN: S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 AMMAN 000425 SIPDIS FOR NEA/PPD AGNEW; NEA/ELA GREGONIS E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: TAGS SUBJECT: JORDAN: S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSAL REF: 09 STATE 132094 ¶1. Embassy Amman received 22 proposals in response to the S/GWI project proposal solicitation. The Public Affairs Section reviewed the proposals, with input from USAID and POL sections, and is pleased to support the proposal, "Empowering Young Women: Life Skills and Vocational Training for Leadership, Health, and Personal Safety," by the Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans. ¶2. Al-Aman Fund's project would help one of Jordan's most vulnerable populations - young women who grew up in orphan care centers and lack career training and other important life skills. The project would provide 50 of these young women, ages 18 to 21, with vocational training at certified institutions as well as life skills training to include problem-solving strategies, social responsibility, and personal health. These women would then be involved in teaching 120 adolescent girls in orphan care centers, ages 13 to 17, in a similar life skills training program. ¶3. We believe the project would deliver a practical, positive impact to women most in need at a critical time. Recent reports of abuse at orphan care centers in Jordan have brought to light the need to provide adequate services and meaningful programs to these young people. This project is in line with our mission priorities, hitting on numerous themes suggested by the S/GWI initiative, including women's economic opportunity, education, democratic and social empowerment, and addressing gender-based violence issues. In addition, the organization is well-regarded and has not benefited from any major USG funding; we also like the fact that the organization has factored in cost-sharing for overhead and salaries. Finally, the proposal itself is well-researched, thorough in its description and implementation strategies, and includes a reasonable and clear budget. ¶4. Following is the proposal from Al-Aman Fund: -------------- --- Empowering Young Women: Life Skills and Vocational Training for Leadership, Health, and Personal Safety The Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans will provide a pilot life skills and vocational training program for orphaned adolescent girls and young women to assist them in moving into adulthood with the skills, knowledge and self-confidence they need to insure their economic security, their health, and their safety from gender-based violence. ; The Problem -------------- In Jordan, 28 care centers host around 1000 orphans, age 1 to 18. At the age of 18 they are required by law to leave the centers. They find themselves without a home, and perhaps more important, without the emotional and financial support needed for this critical step in life. For some the social, psychological and economic challenges are overwhelming. During adolescence there is extensive psychological growth as children adjust their personality to accommodate rapid physical and sexual development. These changes may cause unrest and confusion; moreover, girls who grow up in an orphan care center have a narrow range of life experiences. This program will provide orphaned girls at care centers and just leaving care centers with the skills and knowledge that a mother normally passes to her daughter. It will also provide vocational skills to assist them in living independently. Young women growing up in orphan care centers face double jeopardy to gender based violence, being poor and having limited family support. GBV can cause psychological as well as physical harm to women and girls and in some instances result in death. Through life skills training and counseling the young women will acquire a clear understanding of GBV and the social and legal supports available to them through government and NGOs. The transition from school to work is one of the hurdles of growing up. For poor female orphans it presents a number of special challenges. As orphans they don't have the advantage of family networking and family connections. Perhaps their most significant disadvantage, however, is their lack of parental role models to introduce them to the world of work. This life skills and vocational training program will assist them in working through some of those disadvantages and meet the challenges they face as they enter adulthood. The Program -------------- Fifty young women will be provided a vocational training program in AMMAN 00000425 002 OF 004 beauty care, hospitality management, dental manufacturing, nurse assistant, secretary, graphic design, or jewelry manufacturing. Counseling and current job market information will be provided to assist the women in deciding which program they wish to access. Women interested in university education are provided for in a different Al-Aman Fund program. The young women will also participate in a life skills training program. The program will address: --Identifying personal strengths and interests --Building self confidence and self esteem --Keeping healthy - physically, emotionally, sexually, socially --Dealing with gender-based violence --Empathy and interpersonal communication --Cooperation and teamwork -- Advocacy --Problem solving --Decision making --Household and financial management --Managing stress --Social responsibility In presentations on gender-based violence the program will put into words the often unspoken problem of GBV, thereby giving the participants a safe place to discuss and explore their worries and fears and develop strategies to be safer. All the topics will be explored through participatory workshops and field trips to maximize the participants' skill development and personal growth. Girls who grow up in an orphan care center have a narrow range of life experiences. The life skills training program will include field trips and a summer holiday camp component to better prepare participants for the challenges of adulthood. A similar life skills training program will be provided to 120 adolescent girls, age 13 to 17, who are still living in orphan care centers. It will be presented on Saturdays to allow 24 of the young women, 18 to 21, in the vocational training program to present the workshops. This arrangement will make the program more powerful for both the adolescent girls and the young women. The adolescent girls will see role models they can readily relate to in their presenters. The young women presenters will hone their leadership skills. Vocational Training Institutions -------------- All certified by Government of Jordan Higher Education Council Jewelry manufacturing: University of Jordan/ Consultation Center (5 women at $1,550 total per person for 7-month course) Secretary: Sight and Sound (5 women at $1,400 total per person for 6-month course) Beauty Care: French Art & Beauty Academy (10 women at $1,380 per person for 6-month course) Hospitality Management: Jerusalem College (5 women at $2,400 total per person for 8-month course) Graphic Design: Jerusalem College (5 women at $1,415 total per person for 5-month course) *Dental manufacturing: Al Balq'a University (5 women at $1,400 total per person for 24-month course) *Nurse assistant: Red Cross / Jordan (15 women at $1,500 total per person for 18-month course) Total Cost $69,625 *Employment market research shows these two fields being in highest demand in Jordan. Timeline -------------- Duration of Program: 16 months April, 2010 - Hire coordinator, workshop development consultant, and contract workshop facilitators May, 2010 - Prepare life skills workshop materials, orientation for facilitators, develop KPI measurement and other evaluation instruments June 2010 - Deliver life skills workshop to women 18 to 21 July 2010 - Deliver life skills workshop to women 18 to 21 Enroll women in vocational training programs AMMAN 00000425 003 OF 004 August 2010 - Deliver life skills workshop to women 18 to 21 September 2010 - Women 18 to 21 in vocational training Training for women who will be presenting life skills workshops to adolescents October to December 2010 - Women 18 to 21 in vocational training Deliver life skills workshop to adolescents 13 to 17 - First cohort January to March 2011 - Women 18 to 21 in vocational training Deliver life skills workshop to adolescents 13 to 17 - Second Cohort April 2011 - Women 18 to 21 in vocational training Preliminary Evaluation May to July 2011 - Women 18 to 21 in vocational training August 2011 - Initial program evaluation August 2013 - Evaluation focus group to measure impact Evaluation Plan -------------- The program will be evaluated first for immediate effect and later for medium term impact. Participants will be administered a written pretest as they enter the program to ascertain base line data on both their cognitive knowledge of the material to be covered in the life skills program and their feelings about themselves and their future place in society as they enter the adult world. The same instrument will be used at the completion of the program to measure its immediate effect. At the end of a year and again at the end of three years a sample of participants will be invited to participate in a focus group to discuss the impact of the program on their lives. This will provide information valuable for planning future programs to meet the needs of this population. Anticipated Outcomes and Performance Measures -------------- - We anticipate that at the completion of the life skills training 80% of the participants will --demonstrate more clearly defined vocational goals, --demonstrate more knowledge about community resources for dealing with gender based violence, --demonstrate more knowledge about sexual health, and --express confidence in their economic future. We anticipate that a year after completing the vocational training program 70% of the women will have employment in the area they trained for. Sustainability -------------- This is a pilot program. After completion of the first 12 months of activities we will have enough experience and data to demonstrate the program's viability and value so that funds for continuation can be raised from the Government of Jordan, the international community, NGOs, or individual and corporate donors. Al-Aman Fund Capacity -------------- The Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans was established in 2006 by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah as an independent non-governmental organization registered under the Ministry of Social Development in order to provide orphaned youth with a better future. Its mission is to equip orphaned youth with the education and skills necessary to become self-reliant members of society by operating relevant and effective support schemes responsive to their needs. The Board of Trustees, headed by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, includes HE Governor of Central Bank, HE Minister of Social Development, HE Chief Islamic Justice / Imam of the Hashemite Court, and HE Minister of Finance, in addition to other influential members from the private and public sectors. The Fund targets orphaned youth who have resided in orphan care centers for part of or all their childhood, as well as orphans supported by orphan support organizations who live in poverty with a guardian or an immediate relative and are between the ages of 18 and ¶21. At the end of 2009, the total number of orphans who received AMMAN 00000425 004 OF 004 support from Al-Aman Fund reached 1000, out of which 80% were women. The Fund aims to raise the number of beneficiaries to 1200 in 2010. The Funds' support is extended in the form of educational scholarships, financial support to secure safe and decent living, specialized subject training, vocational training, academic and psychosocial counseling, and internships and job placements. The Empowering Young Women program will be implemented by a team of 5 social workers, all experts in social and psychological counseling for orphans. The project manager holds an MSc in psychology and has 8 years experience in managing social development programs. Program Impact -------------- For the participants the program will increase their chances of happy fruitful lives. For the Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans the program broaden our repertoire of interventions. Ultimately, this will strengthen society, not only for orphans, but for all citizens of Jordan. Budget -------------- United States S/GWI funds US $ Life skills workshops (50 women 18 to 21) --Facilitator fee (24 workshops x 3 groups @ $70 = 5,040) --Facilitator travel expense (24 workshops x 3 groups @ $20 = 2,400) --Materials and refreshments ($3 per participants per meeting = 3,600) Life skills workshops (120 girls 13 to 17) --Facilitator travel expense (30 workshops x 8 groups @ $20 = 4,800) --Materials and refreshments ($3 per participants per meeting = 8,640) --Field trip expenses (11 groups @ $200 = 2,200) --Vocational training (69,625) --Evaluation contract consultant (2,000) Total = $98,305 Al-Aman Fund contribution --Project coordination ($700/month x 16 months = 11,200) --Project manager (10% time = 2,200) --Financial manager (10% time = 2,200) --Staff travel expenses to Irbid (1,500) --Staff office and group meeting space (2,000) --Subsistence allowance for women 18-21 during training (580 months @ $35 = 20,300) --Camps (1,600) Total = 41,000 BEECROFT