Actions for a better society in Jordan

The EU-funded project “Citizen in my city” attempts to promote democratic values such as social responsibility, citizenship and environmental protection among Jordanian population.

Nissrine Mansour - Amman, Al-Hayat

Within the framework of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, and under the title “Citizen in my city”, a EU-funded project was implemented in Jordan. Through workshops and voluntary activities, it aims to raise people’s awareness about human rights and democracy, in an attempt to promote citizenship, social responsibility and democratic dialogue in Jordan.

In the district of Achrafieh, the children of Okaz neighborhood did not wait for the municipality of Amman to clean up their roads. They assembled themselves and decided to work all together to clean up the streets where they’re used to play every day. This initiative is part of the cleanliness campaigns that the “Citizen in my city” project launched with the support of the European Union to raise awareness among Jordanian citizens, notably children and youth, about the necessity of cleaning and beautifying the city, by carrying out plantations and wall drawings activities. In fact, in Achrafieh, public gardens are scarce; and when there are some, they’re not rehabilitated nor secured, which explains why the children and the young people of this neighborhood spend most of their time on the sidewalks.

Voluntary activities
In order to resolve this issue and within the framework of the “Citizen in my city” project, a group of children and young people were invited to participate in the rehabilitation of one of the gardens of their neighborhood, through plantation and drawing on walls, in an attempt to develop the sense of responsibility towards the environment among young generation.

Hence, cleanliness campaigns, gardens rehabilitation and plantation activities were carried out by Tatawor, which is a non-profit organization that addresses the needs of Jordanian youngsters, by designing projects related to their development, to promote the importance of voluntary activities, environmental protection and the spirit of belonging. Director of Tatawor, Myriam Abu Adass, says that “Citizen in my city” project allowed making great achievements in many targeted areas of Jordan, such as Sahab, Achrafieh and Wadi El-Seer, in collaboration with local partners. According to Myriam Abu Adass, many information centers were established in all the regions targeted by the project, with legal counselors and lawyers committed to offer counseling services and information on issues such as the rights and obligations of citizens.

The project’s activities were mainly implemented in three districts: Wadi El-Seer, Achrafieh and Sahab. And it’s not a coincidence. In fact, according to Myriam Abu Adass, many areas in Eastern Amman still suffer from marginalization; most of their inhabitants are unaware of their rights and obligations. This is the reason why family, youth, health and legal awareness campaigns were designed to help them be more aware of their rights and responsibilities.

Drug abuse
As part of the "Citizen in my City" project, the “Pharmacy One Training and Drug Information Center” organized an awareness campaign about the use of medicines. According to the director of Pharmacy One Training and Drug Information Center, Dr. Arwa El-Khatib, creating health awareness among the people is essential for the development of the society. Hence, during the project period, Dr. Arwa El-Khatib gave a series of conferences and seminars on diabetes, allergy, blood pressure, drug addiction and nutrition during Ramadan. The subjects of the seminars were chosen according to the needs of each targeted region. For example, in Sahab, a neighborhood known for its high rate of drug use among youth, a series of conferences were held to inform people about the dangers and side effects of drugs. In this context, Dr. El-Khatib admits the existence of preconceived and wrong ideas about many health issues, due to lack of awareness campaigns in these regions. The inhabitants of targeted regions seemed eager to learn about health issues, given the high rates of participation in the seminars, especially in those organized around the theme of family health.

Sexual violence
Participating women unanimously affirm that these encounters have drawn their attention to the importance of issues such as adolescence, violence and sexual abuse. Here’s what happened at a conference on sexual violence: while the lecturer was explaining the causes and effects of sexual violence, a woman started to cry after she understood that her 11 years old son was subjected to some form of sexual abuse by an older kid at school. Choosing “Umm Yazan” as a nick name to protect her son, the victim’s mother says that it is highly important to debate about the problem of sexual abuse in schools. “Umm Yazan” explains that she started recently to notice a change in her child’s behavior: he became more aggressive with his young brothers and he was often refusing to go to school. At first, she thought that her son was reaching an early adolescence. But then, thanks to the family awareness campaigns, she understood that her son is in fact subjected to some form of sexual abuse.

“Umm Yazan” is not the only one to suffer from lack of awareness about health family issues. The conferences and seminars organized within the framework of the “Citizen in my city” project allowed promoting social responsibility among children, youth and mothers.

Jordan started to benefit from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights in 2005; more than 34 civil society associations received an EU financial support that amounts to 5.4 million Euros.

Refer to the project fact sheet: European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights "EIDHR" (Jordan)

See the website: www.euromedalex.org/funding/european-initiative-democracy-and-human-rights-eidhr