Coronavirus crisis have affected many economic sectors in Jordan, and women led household businesses have been particularly affected by its consequences. This was confirmed by women-led Civic Based Organizations, in the framework of “Strengthening Capacities of Women-led Civil Society Organizations on Evidence-Based Advocacy and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda” implemented by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) in partnership with UN Women.
The women leaders indicated many times during the training and dialogues conducted during first phase of the Corona pandemic response plan,that the deterioration of household businesses due to closures and safety measures imposed was one of the recurring and exacerbating issues during the Covid-19 crisis, that also led to additional pressures on women and their families financially and socially.
To ensure the provision of humanitarian and gender-responsive services, JONAF 19 women-led CBOs designed an intitiative to meet the needs of 25 selected women houshold business owners in their communities whose businesses varied between agriculture, sewing, food production and cosmetics, and provided financial assistance to support these women to further sustain their businesses, and overcome the challenges COVID-19 caused.
In Karak Governorate, Hana Abu Qudairi’s work in manufacturing jameed at home was affected by the pandemic conditions, as the closure at the beginning of the Corona crisis affected her ability to meet the required quantities demanded. For Hana, the financial aid helped pay the price of milk to suppliers, amid the lockdown conditions, and helped her continue in her production of jameed for the next season.
Fatima Al-Rifai, who lives in Zarqa, believes that “women contribute to providing financial security for their home despite fatigue, and providing quality products to the markets.” She also indicated that the financial assistance has helped her buy the basic materials she needs to produce the food she sells, such as eggplant and pepper, in order to continue fulfilling the demands of her customers.
Fida Al-Jabari from Mafraq, who works in the field of homemade cosmetics, said that “Her income from her work has been affected by the pandemic due to the shift in women’s interest to providing the essential family needs instead of cosmetic.” Adding that she had used the financial assistance she received in purchasing the materials that she uses to gradually return to practicing her profession.
This initiative was implemented within as part of the Strengthening Capacities of Women-led Civil Society Organizations on Evidence-Based Advocacy and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda project in partnership with UN Women under the JONAP framework with the generous support of the Governments of Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.
