Projected centre to train women on in-house plumbing

AMMAN — A centre will be opened to train women on in-house plumbing to further integrate them into the male-dominated sector, Minister of Water Hazem Nasser announced on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation will set up the centre, according to Nasser, who said that women who graduated from a training course implemented through the Water Smart Homes — Activity (WSHs-A) will be tasked with training their fellow women on plumbing.

Nasser made the announcement during the completion ceremony of the WSHs-A, which is one of the projects implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account — Jordan (MCA — Jordan) that are funded by a $275 million water and sanitation compact from the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

"The ministry will hire some of those women who graduated from the training course to give training to other women wishing to pursue plumbing as a career…," the minister said.

The training centre will be based in the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) in Amman and Zarqa, Nasser said, vowing to grant the centre technical and political support to make it succeed.

The $6.5-million WSHs-A is aimed at improving home water systems for underprivileged families, empowering women and promoting in-home water management across Zarqa Governorate, 22km east of Amman.

Under the project, home water systems in 4,000 households that are beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund were improved, while 60,000 Zarqa residents, half of whom are women, participated in sessions on how to manage and conserve in-home water resources.

In addition, 30 women received training to develop their professional skills in plumbing and household water maintenance to ultimately assist them in creating their own income-generating projects.

US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells said during the event that the US, through the MCC, is proud to partner with Jordan to achieve greater water security, noting that it is not just about investing in infrastructure, but by doing so in a way that promotes gender equity and social inclusion.

MCA-Jordan was established in 2010 as a company fully owned by the government to manage and implement the MCC’s grant, which was extended to the Kingdom in October 2010 to renovate and extend water networks in Zarqa Governorate.

The grant went into effect in December 2011, and all of the projects to be implemented under it should be completed before the end of this year.

MCA-Jordan is implementing three main projects under the grant in Zarqa, where around 1.4 million people live according to the 2015 population census.

The projects include the rehabilitation and expansion of the wastewater network, the rehabilitation and restructuring of water networks and the expansion of the As Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant.

MCA-Jordan CEO Kamal Zoubi said the WSHs-A improved the lives of some of the poorest families in the country, noting that it has also empowered people to manage their own water resources.

"This celebration is a great opportunity for donors, stakeholders and community members to take a deeper look at WSHs-A; at what aspects made it successful and how these aspects may be incorporated into future development achievements…," Zoubi said.