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

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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

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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

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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