In February 2024, twelve women from across Jordan came together to participate in a training course on self-care, resilience and inner strength facilitated by URI MENA. Part of the course was the development of facilitation skills to enable the women to become trainers themselves. Throughout the year, URI monitored each of the women’s workshops in their own communities. It was amazing to see how these women created spaces of trust, understanding and connection, and to see the great need for such safe spaces for women in Jordan.
On the 1st October 2024, these women travelled to Amman to reunite and reflect on the adventure that began earlier this year. URI MENA facilitated this evaluation day to assess the impact of the February training on the women and the workshop participants in their communities, in order to improve future interventions and how to further support these women. It was also a great opportunity for the women to come together, strengthen their network and renew the energy of the group, reflect on their process, successes and challenges in facilitating their own workshops, and create visions and ideas for future workshops.
The day began with a review of the photos and wonderful memories from the workshops, which were facilitated by the women. They then worked in groups to reflect on the following topics:
The first was about the process of planning their own workshops, the successes and challenges they faced. The second part focused on their experiences during the workshops, including sharing stories from participants about how the workshops had affected them. The third part was to think about new ideas for future workshops, how to keep the group together and how to stay on track to learn more about self-care.
We heard many inspiring stories of how the training and facilitation of their own workshops has changed these women’s confidence and self-image, how they see themselves.
But the most fundamental and important thing we found in all the stories was the power of safe spaces for women, where they can be vulnerable, talk about sensitive issues and feel supported. And the need for more of these spaces.
We found that there was a huge demand for issues such as learning practical exercises to deal with strong emotions and the need for a specialist with knowledge of psychological support.
Maybe highlight some stories of participants:
- one participant against family and husband journey from south of Jordan to Amman to participate in the sc training
- women despite the daily load of work, family and other responsibilities managed to hold their workshops
- workshops in the desert of Wadi Rum with a demand as high that not even all the people could participate
- a participant of the workshops who reflected on her style of parenting and how it affected her daughter
- a lady who finally was able to talk about her experience as one of several wifes of her husband who after his death left her to take care of his other wifes and their children
The training and following women’s circles created spaces, where untold stories finally found a place to be shared, acknowledged and perhaps transformed.
