Jordan Times
Monday, April 18, 2005
USAID awards four grants to
Aqaba NGOs
AMMAN (JT) — Four Aqaba nongovernmental organisations were awarded grants valued
at more than $218,000 on Sunday.
US Charge d'Affaires David Hale and Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA)
Chief Commissioner Nader Dahabi awarded the grants at a ceremony held at the
Aqaba Chamber of Commerce yesterday.
The grants fall under the USAID-funded Aqaba Zone Economic Mobilisation project,
in collaboration with ASEZA, to support a variety of local Aqaba development
initiatives, according to a US embassy statement.
One of the grants will enable the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF) to fund a
three-month summer training programme for 130 young people, of whom 70 per cent
are women, to learn computer skills, English language, business correspondence,
communication skills and entrepreneurship.
The courses will be provided at the NHF branch in Aqaba and at three other
locations, including the Princess Basma Community Development NIC Training
Centres in Guwayrah and Risheh, and the Professional Business Women's
Association in Aqaba.
The Jordan National Red Crescent Society received a grant to fund a major summer
employment programme targeted at helping Aqaba residents gain work experience,
while also encouraging local businesses to hire and train new employees.
The grant will provide an average of JD85 per month in salary support for up to
300 people for a period of about three months. Local businesses hiring temporary
employees under the programme will supplement these funds with additional direct
payments to participants.
The Jordan Society for Sustainable Development received a grant for a project to
advance local ecotourism.
The grant will help fund infrastructure construction for an Aqaba Bird
Observatory to be located on lands owned by ASEZA and used by the Aqaba Water
Company.
These funds were in addition to financial support provided by the Canadian and
the Netherlands governments for the same project.
The land on which the observatory will be constructed is an important bird
habitat and migratory path for birds of many species. Both domestic and foreign
tourists and nature enthusiasts are expected to be attracted to the new
observatory, which will also be used by professional researchers.
The fourth grant was awarded to the Cultural Symposium Club for university
graduates from Aqaba to organise training for 12 promising graphic design
graduates. The training will last for a period of five months, after which the
participants will receive assistance to find jobs.
During the awards ceremony, Hale and Dahabi also recognised several top
achievers from an USAID-funded scholarship programme for hotel and tourism
management students at Aqaba University College.