Current Activities

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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.

Community Mobilization Activity – North Shallalah Neighborhood

Background:

Under objective 3.1, the ACED Program works with the Local Community Development Directorate (LCDD) to lay the foundation for increased local community participation in decision-making by designing and establishing localized processes, implementing activities to increase citizen participation, and executing broader efforts to link ASEZA and the local community.

A key component of community mobilization is the formation and facilitation of Neighborhood Enhancement Teams (NETs) to represent their Neighborhood, ensure active participation by a broad range of citizens, identify priority projects agreed to by their constituents, and oversee the implementation of the highest priority projects.

North Shallalah Neighborhood Mobilization

• Initial informative visits with key stakeholders including: school directors, teachers, NGOs, business people, religious leaders, ASEZA directorates, other known community leaders.
• Recruited and provided basic awareness building training to 21 neighborhood volunteers to support the activity.
• Raised awareness of the program and the Neighborhood Wide Meeting throughout the neighborhood by having volunteers as well as ACED Program, LCDD and JRF staff hang up posters, distribute brochures, and talk to individuals and community leaders in their houses, workplaces, and meeting places.
• Collected initial information, through a simple door-to-door survey, from 370 of 900 families (41%) in North Shallalah on priority needs of the neighborhood and to nominate leaders for the NET.
• Held the Neighborhood Wide Meeting to discuss the priority needs of the community and to introduce North Shallalah's NET. Over 177 meeting participants signed the attendance sheets.

Details and Outcomes of the North Shallalah Neighborhood Wide Meeting: 

• LCDD and ACED Program representatives announced and introduced this community mobilization activity as a new and innovative partnership between ASEZA and the citizens of Aqaba.
• A Khazzan NET member explained the importance of the Neighborhood Development Activity (NDA) in General and explained how Khazzan NET represents their community and works with all partners to translate the neighborhood’s priority needs to projects for potential implement in collaboration with all stakeholders.
• The facilitator explained the step-by-step process for the neighborhood, including:
  • What had been completed already (survey and awareness building);
  • What would be accomplished at this meeting (discussion of local priorities, introduce North Shallalah NET).
  • What the next steps are (NET translates needs to potential projects and verifies these with community, applies to ASEZA and the ACED Program for funding support, raises community contribution, oversees implementation of project, repeats the process starting with updating priorities).
• Facilitator presented the results of the survey and asked smaller groups to discuss these priorities with co-facilitators in order to choose their three highest priorities.
• North Shallalah citizens chose their three highest priorities as follows:
  • Street, sidewalk and lighting maintenance;
  • Neighborhood clean-up and waste management; and
  • Attention to the education sector.
• Facilitator explained the roles and responsibilities of the volunteers selected by the citizens for the NET.
• Facilitator explained that 10 volunteers (nominated leaders) accepted to be in North Shallalah NET, and two additional volunteers (1 female and 1 male) can be added to be in North Shallalah NET – 1 man and 1 woman were added.
• Formed North Shallalah NET with 12 members (6 women, 6 men).

Community Mobilization Activity – Alamiya Neighborhood

Alamiya Neighborhood Mobilization

 -     NDA team held initial informative visits with key stakeholders including: school directors, teachers, religious leaders and other known community leaders.

-     Recruited and provided basic awareness building training to 11 neighborhood volunteers to support the activity.

-     Raised awareness of the program and the Neighborhood Wide Meeting throughout the neighborhood by having volunteers as well as ACED Program, LCDD and JRF staff hang up posters, distribute brochures, and talk to individuals and community leaders in their houses, workplaces, and meeting places.

-     Collected initial information, through a simple door-to-door survey, from 600 of the 1500 families living in Al-Alamiya on priority needs of the neighborhood and to nominate leaders for the NET.

-     Held the Neighborhood Wide Meeting on July 25, 2009 to discuss the priority needs of the community and to introduce Alamiya's NET. Over 90 meeting participants signed the attendance sheets including 60 from Alamiya neighborhood and 30 supporters from other NETs.

-     Alamiya NET was formed with 14 members: 7 men and 7 women.

Details and Outcomes of the Alamiya Neighborhood Wide Meeting:

• LCDD and ACED Program representatives announced and introduced the NDA as a new and innovative partnership between ASEZA and the citizens of Aqaba.
•    An Old Town NET member explained the importance of the NDA in general and explained how the Old Town NET represents their community and worked with all partners to implement a priority neighborhood project. 
•    The facilitator explained the step-by-step process for the neighborhood, including:
  • What had been completed already (survey and awareness building);
  • What would be accomplished at this meeting (discussion of local priorities, introduce Alamiya NET).
  • What the next steps are (NET translates needs to potential projects and verifies these with community, applies to ASEZA and the ACED Program for funding support, raises community contribution, oversees implementation of project, repeats the process starting with updating priorities). 
•    The facilitator presented the results of the survey and asked smaller groups to discuss these priorities with co-facilitators in order to choose their three highest priorities.
•    Alamiya citizens chose their three highest priorities as follows:
  • Neighborhood clean-up and beautification;
  • Improvement or creation of parks and public spaces; and
  • Street, sidewalk and lighting maintenance.
•    The facilitator explained the roles and responsibilities of the volunteers selected by the citizens for the NET. 
•    The facilitator explained that 10 volunteers (nominated leaders) accepted to be in Alamiya NET, and two additional volunteers (2 females and 2 males) can be added – 2 men and 2 women were added by the meeting attendees. 
•    Alamiya NET was formed with 14 members (7 women, 7 men).