NEWS & EVENTS

In Jordan, Qudra 2 supports six municipalities in the northern governorate of Mafraq. We support projects that enable municipalities to work alongside civil society to provide better services for all their residents. A participatory approach involving the local community was used to analyse the needs of each municipality. An inclusive and participatory approach allowed all community members to express their needs and ideas on issues that affect their daily lives.

Using this approach resulted in prioritising the following needs: cleaner and more environmentally sustainable cities, more spaces for leisure activities, employment opportunities and access to water. Each municipality was supported to develop an action plan to start the process of addressing these needs.

These plans will be implemented in coordination with local civil society groups. To this end, community centres will be established to offer school support, meeting and leisure spaces for the community, including sports areas, especially for women. For cleaner cities, garbage collection systems will be improved, and compactor trucks will be purchased. Furthermore, for refugee women in particular, job opportunities will be generated through cooperation between the private sector and the municipalities.

All the spaces promoted within the programme will be environmentally friendly.

The first projects have been completed: 100 waste containers have been delivered to the municipalities of Al-Basilieh and Hosha, which will help them to become cleaner municipalities, thus providing more friendly spaces for their communities.

In health, water, electricity supply and education, Qudra 2 supports local governmental units and civil society organisations’ capacities to deliver transparent and inclusive essential services. Our primary support is delivered through participatory small-scale “Quick Impact Projects” for vulnerable communities.

Local government units were supported to effectively and efficiently identify and act on the needs of their communities. Community members have been actively involved in the planning and implementation of QIPs. Individuals are informed and consulted to identify and prioritise community needs and discuss the QIPs planned in their districts.

QIPs are based on the societal demands from communities, community leaders (mukhtars), sectoral departments hotlines, or through the mobile teams established by the directorates. The mobile teams meet the community members and identify the needs on-site, and these needs are then raised with the respective directorate’s planning department for development into QIPs.

Twenty-seven QIPs have been finalised, reaching 85,000 individuals. 90 QIPs are currently ongoing and are estimated to reach an additional 1,620,000 individuals, 35% of whom are refugees, and 50% women. Priority was given to improving water and electricity supply to residential areas, ensuring road safety, access to health services, and adequate education facilities. QIPs have, for example, supported the drilling of deep wells and provision of water to surrounding areas or supporting Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) by constructing or rehabilitating facilities.

Through our collaboration with our government partners and our local implementing partners , training on technical operation and maintenance of electrical works was offered primarily to youth and women. Additionally, municipal management capacities and community participation are improved to continue beyond the initial QIPs.

Qudra 2 successfully supported community-based organisations in Iraq to promote social cohesion through projects developed and implemented by local people.

Capacity development for local partners is of crucial importance for Qudra 2. The programme aims to build capacities for local civil society actors and partners, so they are enabled to implement projects that contribute to social cohesion.

We support local actors in locations (e.g., Piramagroon town, Sulaymaniyah governorate or Khurmal town in Halabja governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq) where the technical component of employment creation and income generation is being implemented.

Our partner, Green Kurdistan, a local volunteer association, supports elementary schools in Piramagroon by increasing green spaces, which means an increase in the quality of the environment for more than 500 students and a profound effect on the young generations’ attitude to the natural environment.

In parallel, staff members and volunteers from the organisation participated in management training to increase their capacities and establish organisational structures that can support the implementation of the small project. The effects of this training are expected to benefit Green Kurdistan in their future work. After strengthening the operational skills, professional training was provided to equip Green Kurdistan with tools to deliver environmental education.

In coordination with the local schools and authorities, Green Kurdistan delivered environmental sessions to students and their teachers and involved the whole school in planting events. By working for a common goal, witnessing, and experiencing direct benefits of their actions, this successful greening project contributed to social cohesion in the school in a town where internally displaced people and host community members have been living together for close to a decade.

Halabja Disabled Organisation (HDO), another local partner, aims to create an all-accessible park in Khurmal town, where Qudra 2 has previously improved agricultural infrastructure to support farmers.

HDO has been capacitated in project management skills to realise their primary mission, the effective and efficient inclusion of people living with impairments. It is challenging for people living with impairments to move freely around Khurmal town. There were no recreation areas accessible to everyone before, leading directly to these groups’ social exclusion and isolation. HDO designed a park accessible for anyone living with challenges. The organisation even added raised beds to demonstrate how minor modifications to usual agriculture practices can empower and involve everyone in livelihood activities and assist them to regain control over their lives.

Alongside infrastructure development, HDO organised awareness-raising sessions, broadcasted a video and held sensitisation classes for youth to educate the young generation about the value of social inclusion.

Qudra 2 supports Turkish municipalities to deliver improved services to host communities and refugees through community support projects. The programme also provides a range of complementary capacity development activities, ranging from learning-by-doing in project implementation, peer exchange, and training delivered by experts.

Turkish Municipalities Learning from Each Other

In Turkey, Qudra 2 organised an “Experience Exchange” Dialogue for its partners, which blended the elements of training and peer-learning through exchanging lessons learned and best practices.

During a two-day meeting (02-03 November 2021), Turkish municipality representatives joined the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT) and the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM) (previously known as the Directorate General of Migration Management) representatives to exchange on project implementation processes and best practices.

Additionally, representatives from PMM gave a presentation on the “National Outlook on Migration Management” and the latest developments. On the second day of the event, the participants joined the “Joint Preparation for Refugees Response Projects” ideas workshop focusing on project ideas outlined during the “Project Camp” organised between 26-27 August 2021 with the participation of UMT experts.

This dialogue event strengthened the connection and the communication between the Qudra 2 partner municipalities in Turkey and supported UMT in its coordination mandate. All participants were glad to meet and exchange face-to-face on their project activities while following strict hygiene protocols.

Do No Harm: A New Perspective

Qudra 2 conducted a 3-day training workshop for Turkish partner municipalities on conflict sensitivity and the “do-no-harm” principle. The overall objective of the training was to provide the partner municipalities with practical knowledge and skills to manage Community Support Projects (CSPs) without exposing beneficiaries and other stakeholders to additional risks. The training was conducted with the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT) and the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM).

Thirty-eight professionals from 16 municipalities, the UMT and DGMM, participated in the training in Ankara.

It was one of the first face-to-face training sessions the programme could organise since the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants noted that the training provided a new perspective on the daily work of municipalities.

It was one of the first face-to-face training sessions the programme could organise since the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants noted that the training provided a new perspective on the daily work of municipalities.

CFI, in cooperation with Al-Jazeera Training Center, organized a workshop on ‘Refugee Story Coverage’ from 26-29 September 2021. Eighteen journalists were selected from governorates of Amman, Zarqa, Ajloun, Mafraq and Irbid.

The training aimed at introducing the concept of Refugees’ Journalism and its importance. The following topics were presented as the main pillars of Refugees’ Journalism: legal classification of refugees, refuge and immigration laws, sympathetic journalism, proper terminology, logistics needs and safety measurements in the field. Additionally, the preparation procedures for the production of refugees’ stories, and the principles of conducting interviews with them, were discussed thoroughly. It also stressed the importance of journalistic moralities, ethics along the exclusion of discrimination and hatred speech against refugees.

It is crucial that journalists and media professionals are able to present and cover all issues that arise in vulnerable communities in a professional, transparent and unbiased manner. Media has a major role in highlighting all issues that concern refugees that already exist or might arise. Professional coverage of refugees’ stories will impact the lives of refugees, and make their voices heard. It is also a method of communication between host communities and refugees that will prevent any troubles or miscommunication between both sides.

“This training is an explicit example on integrating Syrian and Jordanian journalists to enhance social cohesion that is a vital priority for the advancement of societies,” said Thouraya Ma’abrah.

It is essential to equip journalists and media workers with the proper skills and tools to produce high quality refugees’ stories:

“This training is of an added value, it enriched my knowledge with possible means for covering refugees’ stories, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Said Asma’ Al-Jaber.

The trainees have acquired new knowledge and skills through the training, such as the ability to identify issues and cases that are related to refugees. They were also able to learn producing sympathetic stories, and humanizing refugees’ stories.

“I gained more information about refugees’ issues, and am now more aware of the mechanisms and principles that a journalist should apply while working on a story.” said Ibrahim Shahin.

Communities in all four Qudra 2 partner countries have been exceptionally generous in their efforts to host those displaced by violence. However, real and perceived competition over jobs, healthcare and education, and cultural clashes – among many other factors – create tensions that can spill over into conflict.

Resilience Dialogue #4, hosted by the Qudra 2 programme, brought together partners from all four programme countries with a unique perspective on the phenomenon of social cohesion.

You can watch the webinar here and download the report here

“Working together for sustainable youth employment” is the third of a series of web dialogues, hosted by the Qudra 2 Programme, that brings together practitioners from local and international implementing partners as well as donor representatives to share good practices in the protracted Syrian and Iraqi crises.

You can watch the webinar here and download the report here

“Investing in basic services: from crisis to opportunity?” is the second of a six-part series of web dialogues, hosted by the Qudra 2 Programme, that brings together practitioners from local and international implementing partners as well as donor representatives to share good practices in the protracted Syrian and Iraqi crises.

You can watch the webinar here and download the report here

There are over 1,000 municipalities in Turkey, but the more than 3,6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey are heavily clustered around the Turkish-Syrian border and large cities.

Qudra 2, in cooperation with the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT), provides support to partner municipalities with a high ratio of Syrians living in their communities. 19 of these municipalities receive funding to implement community support projects (CSPs).

550,000 people benefitted from improved services including COVID-19 prevention measures. Besides, 468,000 people received hygiene kits, awareness-raising materials, and personal protection materials through CSPs directly responding to COVID-19.

Here you can take a closer look at our support to Turkish municipalities.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge all aspects of life in Iraq while the Qudra 2 programme implements “fit for purpose” responses to those affected by COVID-19.

Qudra 2 and its partners have assisted in health, hygiene, psychosocial support (PSS), protection, and awareness-raising. We have also successfully facilitated the creation of employment opportunities and the delivery of essential services.

In Mosul, Qudra 2’s NGO partner Amalna Foundation provides psychosocial support to isolated COVID-19 patients at hospitals and quarantine locations.

Job-seekers received training in producing personal protective equipment (PPE), leading to income generation opportunities.

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40 selected young people participated in training on leadership skills, peace and conflict resolution and community engagement provided by our partner Better World Organization. As a result, the youth planned and implemented 8 of their own community-based initiatives.

Moreover, 40 women were selected to participate in agricultural training, learning from experts how to grow their own vegetables in recycled containers. All 40 women started their own container gardening projects, supporting each other through a WhatsApp group. They also involved their friends and neighbours in the gardening.
Take a closer look at our partners’ efforts aimed at engaging youth and women to contribute to social cohesion in their communities.

Enjoy our very first Activity Spotlight here

As the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even harder to earn a living, research on the gender impact of Coronavirus shows that the loss of economic opportunities is more dramatic for women, who already faced an insecure and unstable situation in Iraq.

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Media plays a vital role as a source of information and shaper of opinion. Yet, women’s voices are often underrepresented, and content production continues to perpetuate gender stereotypes. Coverage of violence against women is often insensitive and sensationalist. Therefore, sometimes media are intentionally or unintentionally harming women when covering such critical and sensitive topics.

In this context, CFI medias conducted two workshops on Gender Sensitive Media Coverage to improve journalists’ skills and knowledge concerning the guidelines they should abide by when covering women related issues.

Read more here

Küçükçekmece is the second largest district of İstanbul. With a population of more than eight hundred thousand, of which 10% are a refugees, the municipality faces a challenge to meet the needs of the community with its limited sources.

With the support of Qudra 2, the municipality commissioned a team of academics from the Turkish-German University Migration and Integration Research Center (TAGU) to conduct an in-depth needs assessment.

Read more and download the report here

Disease threats like #COVID19 are difficult to cope with both psychologically and physically. While most people are looking for the most updated information about the pandemic, the information overload can create “information pollution” that results in “fake news” appearing in the media.

Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic we have witnessed an #infodemic, which is why it is important to find credible and reliable sources of information!

Read more here

In all four Qudra 2 partner countries local governments have been at the forefront of basic service delivery to refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has added new challenges.

Qudra 2 supports the efforts of local government partners to deliver inclusive basic services to their communities. This contributes not only to the wellbeing of individuals, but also social cohesion and stability in communities.

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A newly published skills needs analysis conducted by Enabel provides an overview of employment trends in the semi-skilled level within Jordan and seeks to identify focus areas for future training programmes. The report presents key contextual findings in relation to in-demand priority sectors and vocations in the middle, north and south regions of Jordan, as well as in the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps. The assessment also explores employment and demand shifts in targeted areas considering COVID-19, its effect on vocational sectors, and challenges of involving the private sector in Work Based Learning.

Read more here

Armed conflict and violence increase the number of widowed women who have to take on the responsibility to earn a living that enables them to support their families and take care of their children. Finding a job and claiming their independence is often an unforgiving struggle for these vulnerable women.

With the support of Qudra 2, 15 vulnerable women from female-headed households successfully completed the first training course at Kurd Moda company in Raparin.

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To promote Work-Based Learning (WBL) as an essential component of vocational training programmes and a vital approach to employment, Enabel conducted a series of four webinars to establish a foundation for drafting a WBL Jordanian model and implementation plan as part of the “Developing skills for employability of Syrian refugees and vulnerable youth in Jordan” component of the Qudra 2 programme. The four webinars were held on the 13th, 15th, 17th, and 20th of September 2020.

The series of webinars incorporated the private sector’s perspective and established a learning environment where information and lessons learned were exchanged by presenting national, regional and international points of view related to implementing different forms of WBL (apprenticeships, internships, on-the-job training).

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As part of the cooperation between the Qudra 2 programme and the GIZ’s Sport for Development (S4D) project, a sport event was jointly organized by GIZ, teachers and youth leaders to celebrate International Youth Day in Jordan on 12 August 2020.

The event showcased the importance of youth engagement, health, and leisure time activities to promote social competencies and life skills.

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As the Coronavirus outbreak forces us to stay inside, the GIZ regional programme Sport for Development (S4D) together with the emergency pedagogy teams of the NGO Friends for Waldorf Education (FEW) have adapted their support in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) to this new reality: S4D coaches, youth leaders and instructors produce daily videos to keep their teams active, healthy and fit at home.

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In Central Iraq, Mosul, our NGO partner Amalna provides psychosocial support (PSS) and awareness-raising sessions at the family level through the mobile counsellors. A hotline for tele-counselling was introduced to provide 24-hour access to help on domestic violence. Upon request, person to person counselling is arranged at the Jawsaq centre while of course adhering to social distancing rules. PSS was also provided to those hospitalized for COVID-19.

Qudra 2 will continue its support for safe learning spaces through improving facility management at public schools. Guidelines are being developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and training will be provided to educators and administrators. These will also address how schools can improve the safety of children in the face of COVID-19.

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Together with the local NGO partners Akkarouna, Mouvement Social, Abaad and AFEL Liban, online sessions on psycho-social support (PSS) are provided to children and adults through group discussions, as well as awareness-raising sessions on protection risks and on COVID-19.

For instance, the interactive e-sessions conducted by AFEL aimed at providing psychos-social support to vulnerable Syrian and Lebanese children, focusing on boosting their self-confidence and self-esteem during these challenging times of lock down and social instability.

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Local governments are leading the COVID-19 responses around the world as they are in the frontline of citizen engagement, service delivery and the management of public space. The Turkish Pandemic Influenza National Preparedness Plan, published in 2019, also underlines that municipalities bear a major part of the responsibilities during a pandemic – such as ensuring that the necessary information is disseminated and that public spaces are clean to prevent transmission.

Sewing machines provided to Kilis Municipality community centres to provide handicraft and employment opportunities for women are now being put to use to fight the spread of COVID-19. Local women are producing masks for their communities, increasing the resilience and social cohesion during the crisis.

Read more here