The project was promoted and supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – Amman Office, in the framework of its initiative titled “Initiative to support the achievement of minimum protection targets for particularly vulnerable people among refugees and host communities in Jordan – Phase II – AID 11731”, with the aim of improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable people among refugees and host communities in Jordan through the promotion of integrated psychosocial activities and the reinforcement of protection services as means to strengthen community support mechanism and to promote social inclusion. The initiative targeted more than 1000 people among vulnerable population including minors and people with disabilities (30% Syrian refugees, 50% women, 7% disabled people), and 4 community-based organizations in the governorates of Irbid and Amman.
This 15-month project, carried out by ICU in partnership with COOPI and with NHF as a local partner, achieved to strengthen assistance and social protection services in the most vulnerable areas in the governorates of Irbid and Amman through outreach activities, the creation of educational and psychosocial laboratories, and the creation of assistance services for vulnerable people and their families.
The project was designed in response to the identification of a lack of a homogeneous network of social protection in the area, with areas poorly covered by psychosocial support services and with a weak coordination mechanism. Consequently, the identified need underlying the project was to expand and improve the social protection services offered in the area for particularly vulnerable categories, including people with disabilities. Based on the analysis conducted by the local partner, 4 local organizations were identified in areas where access to protection services was absent. In the 4 organizations where the project took place, interventions were made aimed at removing architectural barriers and improving internal and external spaces to implement recreational and psychosocial support activities. The direct beneficiaries of the activities were 300 vulnerable children who participated in the psychosocial activities, and their parents, who participated in the support groups facilitated by an experienced psychologist. The indirect beneficiaries were families, both of refugees and Jordanians, residing in the target communities, who had access to the improved CBOs both in terms of infrastructural improvement and services through the project activities.
