Partners in Aqaba Development Group Improves ASEZ Collaborative Environment
Despite the relatively small size of Aqaba, there has traditionally been very little cooperation among civil society organizations. Information on activities and local community needs was not often shared, causing duplication of efforts, spread of misinformation, and gaps in services to the Aqaba stakeholders.
In the summer of 2008, a group of stakeholders representing all facets of life in Aqaba came together to form the Partners in Aqaba Development (PAD). Through this activity the partners established a series of collaborative working groups, intending to enable each stakeholder working in Aqaba to discuss activities, ideas, best practices and lessons learned. In the first year of this initiative, groups were formed to work on Human Resources, Tourism, Investment, and Community Development.
The PAD Community Development Working Group agreed to meet monthly to coordinate and communicate among all institutions active in community development to be able to provide holistic services for the local community in Aqaba.
The Women and Child Center in Aqaba had a very successful June, 2009, thanks to their participation in the PAD Community Development Working Group. By coordinating with the other members of the group, they were able to provide government- supported food safety training to the women working in their community pastry kitchen, and to offer additional hygiene training and awareness to women members of their organization and a new partner organization from the PAD group. Additionally, they helped another PAD group member, the Women’s Program Center, recruit participants for a youth activity.
By openly sharing their activities, project results, and lessons learned, the PAD Community Development Working Group has built an atmosphere of cooperation that has brought needed services to many citizens who did not have access to them before.The group is currently working to develop tools to enhance information sharing and collaboration.