Achievements

Heart of Amman I

29 community led initiatives were implemented by 165 beneficiaries in a number of thematic areas.
Some initiatives were designed to respond to COVID-19 challenges including sanitization of public spaces, health and hygienic awareness campaigns.
Community initiatives included energy saving, water conservation and environmental awareness campaigns, rehabilitation of stairs and wayfinding, ...

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Heart of Amman II

198 beneficiaries were placed in on-the-job training opportunities; approximately 60% remain as full-time employees.
27 beneficiaries were provided with seed funding to establish their own micro ventures; of which 3 were joint ventures between Syrians and Jordanians.
12 businesses, mostly from the previous cohort of entrepreneurs under HoA I were selected to receive scale up funding to g ...

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Heart of Amman III

150 beneficiaries were trained on life, communication and leadership skills.
118 beneficiaries completed basic digital literacy training.
21 public sector employees were trained on concepts of participatory approaches and community engagement.
Together with its partners, UNDP completed the design and implementation 15 community driven initiatives. The initiatives were implement ...

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Heart of Amman Programme

Generously funded by the Government of Japan, UNDP launched the Heart of Amman Programme in July 2019 to support inclusive socio-economic development in central and east Amman through urban revitalization and enhancing economic resilience and sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable communities.

The Programme was implemented over three interlinked phases- starting in 2019 until 2022- covering a number of locations and reaching over 1,500 participants.

At the core of the Programme are the community led initiatives which employ community-based approaches to addressing challenges by empowering and mobilizing communities to contribute to the development and improvement of their neighborhoods.

The purpose of this repository is to document and provide visual information on the community led initiatives that were implemented under the umbrella of the Heart of Amman Programme.

The repository includes a brief on every initiative, an overview of some of the achievements, an interactive map showing the main locations of implementation, as well as some photos and videos documenting the journey of the different phases of the Programme.

Eva Al Assaf

“It was a wonderful experience, I worked on many initiatives in the Raghdan station alongside my Jordanian colleagues, we were together in every phase which strengthened our team spirit. I am very happy with this experience because I was able to generate income for myself and my family. I learned a lot of skills which I can use in future projects; such as drawing on glass which I became interested in. I also benefited from being active in my community and serving it.”

Mohammad Al Hazeen

“Through the Heart of Amman III programme, we implemented a number of initiatives to help repair the railway stations and contribute to improving the area. We learned carpentry and painting skills. Most importantly, we learned how to work in a team with members from different nationalities and backgrounds. We focused on improving the stations through community initiatives, making the stations and surrounding areas more beautiful and functional for all. Personally, I benefited from learning a new handicraft which I can pursue in the future as a career choice.”

Islam Al-Soud

“I’ve been unemployed and searching for a work opportunity for 5 years since graduating. I was very happy when I was part of the Heart of Amman III program. I was excited to learn something new, and to use this knowledge to benefit my community and have an active role in society. I benefited a lot from the soft skills training which covered topics like: communication, positive thinking, how to create and plan an initiative and how to manage my time. The training was fun, and we learned a lot. I met new amazing people who also aim to improve their communities, even though we didn't know each other previously, we worked very well together to create ideas for the initiatives. I’m very excited to start implementing these ideas at the stations.”

Ahmad and Habes Mutairat

“The archaeological sites of Al-Jeezah are hidden treasures, unfortunately, many sites weren’t added to any tourist maps, because they are neglected and need rehabilitation” Habes said.

“So much of young people’s energy is wasted, but we can invest this energy by being productive and renovating many historical sites, this will benefit the community and the country itself,” Hamzah added.

“I felt as if my life was moving without my control, I had no goal to pursue, but this programme opened my eyes to a new purpose. I can work to improve the areas around me and revive tourism in Al-Jeezah and make a difference.” Hamzah said.

“If we can get a fund, we can develop a community project to further improve the neglected touristic sites in the area, to benefit the locals and empower the youth by giving them work opportunities, just as UNDP empowered us. I want to continue revitalizing sites and increase the tourism in our areas and make them thrive.” Habes added.

Yanal

Is volunteering because he wants to “introduce family and friends to the cultural importance and heritage of Amman, and try to shed light on it

Rama

I want to have a role and leave an impact on the community, even if it is small

Adham – Community Committee member

Through this project, I acquired confidence and self-assurance to speak my mind and I feel that I can be effective and help the development of the community. Generally, any place that allows you to speak freely and at liberty, be heard and to hear others too, this will increase anyone’s sense of belonging to the community

Zeinab – Community Committee member

Through the initiative phase , interviews, and surveys we have been steering and conducting, now we know what Amman truly needs and what solutions we should look for. As an outcome, the local community is actually becoming more encouraged to share their issues to help reach a solution”. […] “Before the project, my sense of belonging was at a percentage of 50%. Now its at 85% and hopefully it will reach 100% by the end if it. Many relationships with Iraqis and Jordanians, were established and are becoming stronger as the days go by”. “In my personal life, I play the role of the man and woman. I hold the characteristic of a leader; however, I still have my fears. I have volunteered with many organizations, but nothing compares to how I felt with this project. My voice, as a CC member and a woman, and the voice of others, is finally being heard”.