Promoting women’s participation in income generating activities

An initiative to empower rural women in Jordan and encourage their participation in income-generating activities, recently held a ceremony for graduates of its peer-to-peer training scheme.

Funded by the US Department of State, and managed by ICARDA’s Water and Livelihoods Initiative (WLI) and Jordan’s National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE), the Program is part of the wider Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

The trainings, led by women from the well-established Ngera women’s cooperative, and the socio economic department at NCARE, focused on group discussions and problem-solving activities, and provided an opportunity for participants to discuss their ideas and present their team projects – which participants confirmed had improved their communication and public-speaking skills.

Many subsequently gained confidence, participated more fully in meetings, and contributed more effectively to the service operations of their respective cooperatives. The trainings focus on developing five skill sets related to successful market engagement: group management, natural resource management, financial management, operations and marketing, and technology and innovation.

Additionally, the trainings offer a chance for the women to network, which in turn expands their social networks and helps leverage new resources. The graduation ceremony recognized 20 women from three CBOs and was held under the patronage of NCARE Director General, Dr. Fawzi Al-Sheyyab, who also thanked the participating cooperatives.

Also present were the representatives of MEPI and other participating organizations, including ICARDA, and the University of Florida. A total of eleven training courses were held by the initiative over the course of the previous year and a half.    

The WLI nitiative is conducted within the framework of the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

For more information on the ICARDA-managed Water and Livelihoods Initiative (WLI) visit: http://icarda.org/wli/