In 2008, Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans received a grant from the World Bank Youth Innovation Fund in support of “Woman-to-Woman Mentoring and Capacity Building” initially targeting orphaned young women in Jordan.
“Woman–to-Woman” aims at helping 18 -21 year old orphaned young women develop their professional and life skills. With the support of the project, these young women are introduced to job opportunities and successful women as role models, while working in a secure environment. The project places female graduates of orphan care centers in paid internship programs within organizations managed or led by women professionals, where they are coached on life and employability skills.
Al-Aman Fund was selected on the basis of its experience in managing post-orphanage support programs for graduating youth. All interns targeted by the initiative are Al-Aman Fund beneficiaries. In addition to working with the project team to identify suitable internship opportunities, Al-Aman Fund also manages the relationships between business owners and the young interns. The Fund is responsible for the application and selection process, monitoring interns’ attendance and overall management of the project.
Feedback from participating interns was positive. Prospects of improving their income, gaining professional skills, and for many, receiving job offers meant a new start. “This has been a wonderful opportunity. I have been given the chance to apply what I learn in college to real work. When I was at the care center, I used to dream of being a successful working woman, earning my living and building a career! And here I am, learning great skills through the “Woman-to-Woman” program. I think this internship will make a considerable addition to my CV and will definitely affect my future plans,” said Feryal, a young intern.
“For some participating businesses, this program came as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. For our school, it is an opportunity to participate in a noble act by opening up new horizons for these young girls to understand and acquire the broader set of skills they need to manage their lives and realize their ambitions,” said Principle of Al Mashreq International School.
“The Woman-to-Woman Project is in line with the World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy for Jordan for the period 2006-2010,” said Susan Razzaz, World Bank Senior Economist based in Jordan. According to the strategy, World Bank Group assistance aims at supporting the Jordanian Government’s strategic objectives of poverty reduction and productive job creation. “What this project did is to match training opportunities with interns’ educational specializations as well as their interests, “she added.
A number of businesses have already offered interns full-time and part-time jobs which interns have accepted. Other businesses have promised future job opportunities to the interns upon receiving their education diplomas.
Based on its initial success, Al-Aman Fund is planning to extend the initiative to include orphaned male youth. The knowledge the beneficiaries will acquire during the course of the project will be transferred to other orphans through peer learning workshops and seminars. In addition, Al-Aman Fund has organized an out-of-office training workshop to complement the skills the interns are learning at work. “Sustainability of the initiative is an important drive for these young men and women to become productive members of society. Our partnership with Al-Aman Fund and members of the business community has demonstrated the criteria for success and scaling up the experience to benefit and empower disadvantaged youth,” said Ziad Badr, World Bank Representative in Jordan.
