Day care workers at facility for children of Iraqi refugees. View the Jordan photo gallery.

In Memoriam of Awni Quandour

IRD Jordan opened in 2003 to support operations in Iraq. By 2006, the office began implementing Jordan-based programs as a result of the growing population of Iraqi refugees. Since then, IRD Jordan has implemented 12 programs serving Iraqi refugees and is now implementing two education-related projects. IRD Jordan’s primary funders include USAID, the US Department of State, and UNHCR.

The Outreach Services for Iraqi Refugees (OSIR) program, funded by UNHCR, strengthens outreach as a holistic activity encompassing protection assistance, early identification, and rapid intervention measures for vulnerable Iraqi families in Amman, Irbid, and Zarqa. Now in its third year, OSIR sends nearly 40 trained Iraqi and Jordanian volunteers to visit vulnerable families in their homes, ensure that refugees receive UNHCR services, and build awareness of refugee rights. IRD and the outreach volunteers also work with refugee community leaders to organize community advisory committees that support the volunteers, help resolve their problems, and identify needy families that are not yet registered with UNHCR. OSIR’s outreach model helps UNHCR disseminate information more efficiently as well as refer clients to services offered by implementing partners. It also improves UNHCR’s ability to provide protection and registration services and to better reach and assess the needs of a changing refugee population. Underlying all outreach activities is the adherence to a rights-based approach: beneficiaries are considered to have the right to services, information, protection, livelihoods, and participation in service delivery.

The Community-Based Support Program (CBSP), funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM), addresses the widespread need among Iraqi refugees to take part in community-based socialization and livelihood skills building activities that will enable them to generate income and reduce stress associated with social isolation and economic hardship. CBSP is currently the largest vocational training program for Iraqis in Jordan, focusing on building skills in demand in the informal sector in Iraq, Jordan, and the region. Basic vocational courses are provided for the men at Ein Al Basha VoTech Center and advance courses at Theodore Schneller VoTech School. Home food production and marketing classes for women are implemented in partnership with Jordan River Foundation. Entrepreneurship training for both men and women are offered after successful completion of vocational training courses by Talal Abu Ghazaleh Institute. Over the course of the program, IRD will provide vocational training to over 2,200 men in computer hardware and software, electrical installation, plumbing, and other skills, while over 850 women will receive training in catering, business, home production, and marketing.

The Health Linkages and National Networks (HLNN) project for Iraqi refugees in Jordan is increasing the use of maternal, child, and reproductive healthcare services in Ministry of Health clinics by Iraqi women and youth. The program aims to reduce their vulnerability and reliance on parallel health structures. IRD partners with the WHO, UNFPA, and the Ministry of Health to intensify outreach and referral functions and encourage increased use of the clinics. For Iraqi sex workers and other at-risk women, IRD is implementing health workshops in cooperation with the Bushra Center to create support networks and prevent domestic violence. A community building program, Violence and Conflict Management, enables participants to address violent and unhealthy situations in new and creative ways. The US State Department-funded program also engages youth at risk of making ill-informed decisions about reproductive health or who may be affected by gender-based violence, using violence and conflict mitigation programs and theater to conduct outreach.

The USAID-funded Community Mobilization for Partnership in Schools (CMP) Project works with community–school partnerships to implement improvements in public schools. The project develops dynamic community–school partnerships that unite citizens in the goal of improving their schools for the benefit of their children and the whole community. CMP works with communities that have received construction and renovation assistance through the USAID-funded Jordan Schools Construction and Rehabilitation Program (JSP). IRD encourages parents and communities to become more involved in their children’s learning through better parenting workshops and through newly formed community-parent-school committees (CPSCs). The CPSCs contrutube to the design, implementation, and monitoring of school improvement efforts and strengthen the community-school support connections that facilitate lifelong learning opportunities and extracurricular programs.

Programs
- Health Linkages and National Networks (HLNN)
- Strategic Health Support (SHS) program
- Community-Based Support Program (CBSP) for Iraqi Refugees
- Community Mobilization Program (CMP) for Jordan Schools
- Outreach Services for Iraqi Refugees (OSIR)
- Emergency Education Assistance for Iraqi Refugees
- Community Services Project for Iraqi Refugees

Press Releases
- IRD Advocates for a Strong Civil Society in the Middle East at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Jordan

Stories
- IRD Jordan Hosts Department of State Field Visit
- VP Fulgham Attends World Economic Forum Special Meeting
- Vocational Training Assists Women in Need
- Vocational Training Assists Men in Need
- American Law Students Visit IRD to Learn About Iraqi Refugees Living in Jordan
- An Unusual Day in Sukaina Bint Al Husain Basic Girls School
- A Dedicated Community Receives Book Donation from the Inner Wheel
- Rotary Club of Amman West Donates 1,400 Books to Ein Al Basha School for Boys
- Private Sector Supports CMP School Libraries
- Deputy Assistant Secretary Visits IRD Jordan
- IRD Jordan Welcomes Board Members Mr. Harold Cranston and Mr. Jack Gilbert
- Jubaiha CMP School Welcomes Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for USAID
- Queen Noor Highlights IRD's Groundbreaking Primary and Psycho-Social Health Care Work With Iraqis Living in Jordan
- Aqaba CMP Schools Welcome USAID Mission Director
- Community Based Support Program Thanks Partners
- Iraqi Cultural Attaché Visits Vocational Training Center
- Breast Cancer Early Detection Creates Hope
- IRD Outreach Approach Breaks Ground
- Bringing Health Services to Iraqi Refugees
- Quick Thinking Saves a Life

Contact
Dr. Christopher Ashford
Country Director
E-mail: info@ird-jo.org

Amman:
4 Medina Al Munawara St
PO Box: 3732
Amman, Jordan 11821
Phone:  +962 6 5563399
Fax: +962 6 5563394    

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