New programme trains Syrian refugees to become community facilitators

AMMAN — Syrian refugees and Jordanians next week will start their training to become community facilitators in their area, through a  programme titled “Syrian Refugees Empowerment”, which will be implemented in the governorates of Amman and Zarqa. 

The programme is organised by the Arab Renaissance Organisation for Democracy and Development (ARDD) and the Tamkeem Centre, with the support of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), and will be running through January 2018.

In an interview with The Jordan Times on Sunday, project manager at the ARDD, Zainab Al Khalil, noted that the aim of the programme is “to get individuals to collaborate with knowledge dissemination in communities of refugees, helping them to promote community cohesion and coexistence”. 

“We are hoping to create a culture of accountability and to raise awareness, empowering the communities to demand their rights, while knowing their responsibilities,” she continued. 

The first step after the candidates selection will encompass the development of the technical skills necessary for the mobilisation of communities, said Khalil, adding that the training will also cover the legal framework governing the education and employment sectors. 

Furthermore, the selected candidates will also be educated on sensitive issues such as the access to education for children with disabilities, gender equality, violence in schools, human trafficking and sexual harassment at the workplace. 

Following the training, the community facilitators will carry out informative sessions with groups of 12 members from their area over three months. 

“This way, the candidates will be responsible to separate the right information for their community, identifying those issues in which a certain population needs more support,” Khalil said.