You are here

Spanish-Jordanian NGOs to serve local community, Syrians in Madaba

By Muath Freij - Jun 15,2015 - Last updated at Jun 15,2015

MADABA — Four Spanish NGOs will team up with Jordanian counterparts to provide assistance for local communities and Syrian refugees in Madaba, under a project officially launched earlier this week.

The NGOs Fundación Promoción Social de la Cultura (FPSC),
RESCATE, Alianza por la Solidaridad and Movimiento por la Paz, el Desarme y la Libertad are taking part in the project, funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), to help both communities in Madaba, 30km southwest of Amman, and assist people with disabilities.

The Jordanian side will include Al Hussein Society-Jordan Centre for Training and Inclusion, the Jordan River Foundation, the Institute for Family Health, and the Community Development Committee, according to an AECID statement. 

Luisa Rueda Solache, AECID projects officer, said each Spanish NGO has its own specific area of expertise.

“One NGO will work for rehabilitation of people with disabilities; another will provide technical support like wheelchairs and devices for deaf people; another one will [offer] psychosocial support for families and friendly spaces, and the fourth will work in reproductive and sexual health,” she told The Jordan Times. 

Solache said that the project started one month ago and will last for nine months, adding that the AECID chose Madaba because it was identified as a place where humanitarian actors do not have a presence as all the attention is focused on the north, which is closer to the border with Syria. 

Madaba Governor Mohammad Smeiran said the city needs more support and attention. 

“The large number of refugees has added to the pressure on our services. We consider refugees as guests but the international community has a duty to further support Jordan,” Smeiran told The Jordan Times.

Spanish Ambassador Santiago Cabanas Ansorena said Jordan deserves assistance for its generosity.

“The host community has been affected by the crisis and it is the intention of the Spanish government to help whatever we can. [The] Madaba community, together with the Spanish and Jordanian NGOs, are really enthusiastic to work here and do a wonderful job,” he added.  

The Spanish diplomat said a clinic and community centre in Madaba will serve the host community and Syrian refugees, noting that the cooperation between Jordanian and Spanish NGOs is “crucial”. 

“Four Spanish very well-respected and known NGOs will work together for the benefit of the community.”  

 

Valentine Corona, communication officer at FPSC, said the project targets 7,760 Syrian refugees and the most vulnerable Jordanians with a special focus on rural areas in Madaba, whose population is around 166,900, according to 2014 estimates by the Department of Statistics. 

up
104 users have voted.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF