No community can reach its full potential without utilising the critical contributions that women can make in all aspects of society. While there is increasing awareness in Jordan of the importance of gender equality, we recognise that Jordanian society often imposes limitations on women, particularly those from rural and traditional communities. As such, our organisation has spent decades designing and implementing initiatives that strengthen the role of women throughout Jordan.
These efforts have included the establishment of Women’s Committees in each of JOHUD’s 51 Community Development Centres (CDCs). These committees are composed entirely of local women, who are tasked with playing a leadership role in the design and implementation of local developmental initiatives. Our CDCs facilitate this process by providing a comfortable and supportive environment where awareness is raised on the importance of women’s empowerment and where local women are encouraged to freely discuss issues that impact their place within the community.
Today, these committees form a national network of more than 809 active members and 1551 volunteers. Additionally, these committees have formed partnerships with approximately 200 local organisations, many of whom collaborate to advance women’s empowerment initiatives throughout Jordan.
JOHUD also encourages women’s committee members to embrace leadership roles in public life, through helping community residents articulate their needs to governmental organisations and local authorities. This process has led to the formation of strong alliances with female leaders who are keen to participate in local democratic processes and who interact with the electorate within their communities.
Since the beginning of this initiative, many proactive women have been elected to municipal council positions after first becoming socially and politically active whilst participating in the women’s committees hosted by our CDCs. A number of these women have even been appointed as mayors, while others still have become qualified to run in Parliamentary elections.
To widen the scope of its efforts, JOHUD also launched the Women’s Empowerment Programme. This initiative has changed the lives of thousands of Jordanian women by implementing a wide range of projects that focus on overcoming obstacles related to women’s health, legal status, and participation in local decision-making.
While there is still progress to be made, women’s empowerment remains a national priority that is essential for unlocking the prosperity our nation is capable of achieving.