UNDP, Jordan Health Aid Society launch community initiative to counter economic impact of COVID-19

AMMAN — The United Nations Development Programme, in partnership with the Jordan Health Aid Society-International (JHASi) launched a project to support community entrepreneurial ventures aiming at countering the effects of COVID-19, while encouraging volunteerism and community service.

According to a UNDP statement made available to The Jordan Times, “Enhancing Community Resilience by Improving Health Practices” is part of the UNDP’s Heart of Amman Initiative, which is actively providing support to projects with a direct positive impact on the heart of the capital, home to half of Jordan’s population. 

This new project comes as a “direct response” to the economic effects of the measures executed by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It aims to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities in Amman, with a special focus on unemployed women and youth, to cope with COVID-19 issues through volunteerism, the statement said.

During the first phase of the project, the UNDP and JHASi will support local innovators and entrepreneurs with promising ideas related to solving post-coronavirus challenges. JHASi will guide selected participants in transforming their business ideas into successful start-ups, which seeks to encourage community engagement, short-term income, capacity building and market accessibility for vulnerable youth and women, the statement added.

Fifty volunteers, 30 per cent of whom will be Syrian, will participate in five weeks of service activities addressing COVID-19 prevention within their communities. Volunteers will execute different weekly activities in rotating groups.

According to the statement, the community activities will serve as a guide to the market tool for the volunteers’ business start-ups through identifying market gaps within the health sector and networking with business owners.

Founder and CEO of JHASi Yaroup Ajlouni said in the statement: “According to JHASi values, we intend to build resilience amongst women and youth through volunteer and community engagement activities in the health sector. Volunteers will provide general health awareness and promote hygiene practices to their communities to cope with COVID-19.”

“This project will provide economic opportunities for unemployed women and youth by promoting innovative entrepreneurship in the health sector. JHASi aims to create a healthier city while reducing the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the Jordanian economy,” he added.

The participants will engage in a myriad of community service activities directly related to public healthcare awareness such as the distribution of health awareness material for patients waiting in public hospitals or public spaces in East Amman and Downtown, the statement said.

JHASi will also involve participants in the “Queue Culture” Campaign: The Waiting Line as a Social System, where volunteers will paint lines or place stickers for line control in front of banks, markets, souks and bakeries. They will also distribute personal hygiene product samples and protective equipment for local communities and train residents on how to use these materials effectively.

After completing phase one, volunteers will participate in a digital or in-person training session by business professionals on how to create a business model.  JHASi will select an estimated 20 participants (10 females, 10 males) to establish their start-ups in the second phase, the statement said.