Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, refugees and civil society: ACTED’s multi-sectorial humanitarian and development intervention in Jordan - ACTED has been working in Jordan since 2005, supporting missions in the Middle East and North Africa. Besides acting as a regional office, ACTED has become fully operational in Jordan, implementing two in-country projects from February 2011. The main axes of intervention of ACTED Jordan are sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), social support to refugees and strengthening of the Jordanian civil society, with a special focus on youth and women.

Promoting SRHR among youth in Jordan through mobilisation and information

The needs of youth in terms of SRHR in Jordan are very high. Misconceptions are common and many young girls and boys are subject to at-risk behaviours, due to lack of accurate information and guidance. ACTED has thereby identified SRHR as a key strategic priority for Jordan, and is therefore working with its local partner Families Development Association (FDA) to respond to SRHR needs of youth in Jordan all throughout the current project and beyond. This two-year project, which started in February 2011, directly targets more than 17,000 youth aged 15 to 24 from the governorates of Amman, Zarqa, Balqa, Madaba and Irbid. Through this project, ACTED has improved the practical knowledge of youth on their SRHR and helped to counteract common misconceptions, through awareness raising and mobilisation events, namely in university campuses, while addressing issues such as sexually transmitted infections, family planning, reproductive health and gender based violence. In order to reach both youth and the larger community, ACTED Jordan will expand its awareness raising events to youth aged 15-18 from youth centres and secondary schools. ACTED will moreover implement a peer education programme for 100 selected students, train 1,400 teachers and coaches, conduct a six-month radio campaign and organise a sports-run event to reach out to the wider community.

Enhancing international protection and sustainable solutions for Iraqi refugees

Due to its geographical positioning and geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East, Jordan is a land that has been constantly hosting displaced populations. Although both the population and the government have shown flexibility and kept borders and houses opened to people in need, this still constitutes a burden for Jordan, and namely for poorer families. ACTED has thereby identified as a main axe of intervention the support of displaced people and of the host community through targeted interventions. In October 2011, ACTED started implementing a two-year regional project aiming at providing Iraqi refugees and returnees with information about the services they can access to and support for sustainable solutions both in Jordan and in Iraq. Through media campaigns, the creation of a website, the establishment of internet points and the provision of internet classes, ACTED will reach out to vulnerable Iraqi refugees in Jordan, with a special focus on women, to provide them with easy access to information on their rights in Jordan, on services and on durable solutions such as third country resettlement and voluntary repatriation. Moreover, in collaboration with its local partner the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), ACTED is providing psychosocial assistance to vulnerable Jordanian and Iraqi women and children from five poor areas in Eastern Amman. ACTED and JRF will furthermore organise awareness raising events and distribute information material on child protection and parenting issues during the upcoming months. In Iraq, in partnership with the local organisation Mercy Hands, ACTED will support returnees, mainly from the region, providing them with support and information on services and on reintegration.

Providing humanitarian assistance and fostering sustainable development

During 2012, ACTED Jordan will continue the implementation of its on-going projects, by focusing on enhancing the sustainability of the SRHR project, through the peer education programme, the training of teachers and the development of technical manuals to accompany beneficiaries beyond the project implementation. With concern to the project targeting Iraqis, ACTED will focus on ensuring a wide outreach for supporting Iraqi refugees and ensure their protection and their access to services both in Jordan and in Iraq. ACTED has moreover identified two new focus points for the year 2012, in accordance to ACTED worldwide experience in emergency humanitarian assistance and strengthening of civil society. On the one hand, ACTED Jordan has been closely following the Syrian crisis and will provide Syrian refugees in Jordan with basic humanitarian support, such as WASH intervention, material emergency assistance, cash assistance, etc. ACTED Jordan and regional office will jointly be in charge of the coordination linked to the Syrian crisis in the neighbouring countries with relevant stakeholders. On the other hand, ACTED Jordan will furthermore pursue the implementation of its civil society strategy by supporting and strengthening Jordanian civil society actors, with a special focus on women and youth in rural areas, namely from the Southern governorates of Jordan. ACTED Jordan will thereby pursue the expansion of its presence in Jordan, and will continue ensuring humanitarian and development assistance to respond to the needs of the targeted populations.

Partners in 2011

EuropeAid