Abdel Rahman Ben Awf Charity Society will implement the “Community Management of Water and Land Resources in East Bayuda/ Balqa Governorate” project. The project aims at assisting the local community of East Bayuda, 15 Km north of Salt city, to implement small projects that would improve their living conditions, contributing at the same time to the sound management and preservation of natural resources, mainly water and soil resources, and to maintain the significant natural environment of the village.

Activities to be implemented under the project include training of local community members, water harvesting through digging cisterns and construction of water reservoirs, bee keeping and production of medicinal plants. Support to the individual projects will be provided on a revolving loan basis, in order to insure sustainability of the project.

The project will also enable the NGO to become a member of the electronic sgpforum connecting SGP supported NGOs for the purpose of exchanging experiences and lessons learned in sustainable development issues. Grant value amounts to US$ 45,000.

In central Jordan Valley, Princess Basma Community Development Center/ Southern Shouneh is planning to implement the “Women in Sustaining Environmental Resources in Southern Shouneh” project. The project aims at transferring the knowledge gained on Permaculture from the pilot project implemented by the Center over the past three years, with financial support by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to home gardens at the local community level in South Shouneh and the surrounding areas, with special focus on women. This would entail training of women who will participate in project activities and raising the awareness of the local community of the benefits of this approach, specially that it goes in line with the traditional approach of farm management that used to prevail in the country in the past. Support to implement home garden projects using permaculture approach will be provided through a revolving loan system in order to sustain project activities and broaden beneficiary base. Production of safe organic agricultural products for the use of the organic kitchen that will be starting operation soon on the pilot site are also part of the project outcomes. Grant value amounts to US$ 45,000.

In Al Mujib reserve, the Hammamat Qoseeb Agricultural Cooperative will implement the “Rehabilitation of Natural Rangeland in Al Mujib Reserve” project. The project aims at reviving the natural rangeland in the reserve, in the Hammamt Qoseeb area, improving at the same time the livelihood of the local community. Hammamat Qoseeb area is located in Wadi Al Heedan which stretches west to meet the Dead Sea after meeting Wadi Al Mujib; the flowing waters gather to form a creek within Wadi Al Heedan passing through Al Mujib, before finally settling in the Dead Sea.

Due to draughty seasons, rainfall fluctuations, impoverished plant cover, restricted grazing and high cost of fodder, local community who depend mainly on livestock raising have been facing a lot of hardships. To address the situation, the Cooperative intends to work with the Mujib Reserve management to revive plant cover in the area, organize grazing in a sustainable manner, promote awareness of the importance of natural rangeland and nature reserves and support individual income-generating activities at the local community level. Grant value amounts to US 32,800.

The United Nations Development Programme has initiated the Small Grants Programme in Jordan and has been managing it since 1992. Signing the project agreements today, the Programme would have supported (91) projects in different parts of the country for a total value exceeding US$ 3 million. Supported projects under this Programme deal with issues of biodiversity protection, climate change control, protection of international waters and land degradation control, addressing at the same time environmental and livelihood problems of the local communities.