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Women Igniting Change |
Makana Project |
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Eman Zu'bi, a
twenty three year old Jordanian woman, was dismayed by the state of her
former school, the Khadija Bint Khuweilad Primary School in Jerash's
Kitteh village. The school was dilapidated and in disrepair; and plans
for a new school were stalled. When Eman became a volunteer with the
Makana Project, she was given the opportunity to help the students of
her former school. Makana
volunteers spent eight months paying weekly visits to the Jerash
Directorate of Education, and finally their
tenacity paid off; construction of the new school is now underway. The
challenges Jordanian women face- domestic violence, sex discrimination
and restrictions of rights – are all deeply rooted issues which have
caused Jordanian women to become stereotyped and stigmatized as helpless
victims behind their veils. Yet,
contrary to this stigma, women across the country are mobilizing
themselves and others in order to make drastic changes in their
communities and their country, challenging the preconceived notion in
Jordan that women should have no place in community participation and
public affairs. The Makana
Project, which has been termed “the first of its kind in Jordan,”
has taken this mobilization to a new level, training female volunteers
to ignite progressive change through social activism in their local
communities.
The program, which is run through the Queen Zein Sharaf Institute for
Development (ZENID), began in January of 2004 as three teams of twenty
women from the Jerash, Madaba and Karak governorates were selected as
volunteers who would be trained as social activists in order to bride
the wide gap between disenfranchised Jordanians and the government. They
then received training regarding local laws, the rights of Jordanians,
advocacy skills, computer skills, and interview techniques. When the
training was complete, the women set off to different impoverished
communities and begin to address issues of domestic daily life by
listening to the demands of the locals and responding with direct action
in the form of lobbying and coordination with local governments. Some of
the main issues tackled by Makana are insufficient or derelict
infrastructure, insufficient transportation, health care, education
reform, local environmental issues and poverty. Their projects have
included the creation of classrooms and aid for children with learning
disabilities, waging a campaign against rat infestation, the drainage of
a large pool of unsanitary stagnant water, as well as the installation
of much needed street lights and trash facilities to local communities. Makana has had a significant impact in Jordan, for the project has created a local form of democracy that gives impoverished Jordanians access to local officials. This in turn allows citizens to claim their full rights and improve their daily lives. In a recent speech, Jordan’s Princess Basma praised the group’s work, “Through projects like Makana, women become an empowered female electorate demanding transparency and accountability of all elected leaders. They create a local form of democracy in action, grounded in grassroots realities, and embedded in the local context.” In addition to helping disenfranchised community members, the project is also helping Jordanian women break the oppressive social barriers and stigmas that have traditionally kept them out of public affairs. Now, with Makana, Jordanian women are proving that they do indeed have the tenacity and power to mobilize, lead and change their country. How
can you help? Purchase photos from the “Images of Jordan” event, featuring the photos of Marianna Nobre from Spark’s delegation trip, by clicking here. Donate money to support these women, click below on Donate Now:
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