Just in case anyone wanted to see it (and because I never made a real post about the Jordanian Women's Union, where I intern, which I feel bad about), here is my final project for my Community-Based Learning (aka internship) class. Technically, we're supposed to submit it as an Op-Ed somewhere... but we'll see.
Walking up the stairs of the Jordanian Women’s Union (JWU) program building in Amman was like receiving an overview of all the different abuses women must endure. First floor: medical clinic. Second floor: children’s guest house, a place where divorced parents can visit their children in an environment less hostile than a police station. Third floor: crisis hotline that provides legal and psychological counseling. Fourth floor: shelter.
The shelter looked a lot like my dorm room from sophomore year. In the common room was a TV, couch, blankets, chairs, and a coffee table. Several bedrooms opened up into the common room, each with two occupants and a private bathroom. A young South Asian girl wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt lounged on the couch watching TV as I walked in.
“Marhaban.” Hello, I said to her in Arabic. I was nervous because I felt as if I were intruding on her personal space.
“Hi. How are you doing?” she replied in perfectly accented American English, completely unphased at seeing me and cheerful to boot. I barely had time to be surprised before I was introduced to another resident of the shelter, an older Iraqi woman. It was dark in the room and her hijab was so voluminous I could barely see her face, but even that could not hide the scars. She greeted us and then continued on her way down to the kitchen.
“She’s one of the victims of the war,” Hala, a lawyer at the JWU, explained in a somber voice as we descended back down the staircase. “She’s been here for many months now, who knows how much longer she’ll need.”
Thirteen years ago, women in the Arab world had no such safe space to retreat to when they needed to be protected. In a society in which domestic matters are dealt with largely by traditional Islamic family law, and internal disputes are meant to be private and not public affairs, political and social space had to be created in the community before a women’s shelter could be established.
In 1999, the JWU opened the doors of the first women’s shelter in the Middle East. Other countries soon followed suit, and their appearance was a tangible sign of a change in society, slowly but surely. Another shelter opened in Jordan in 2007, but this time it was a governmental shelter. The event was significant, but more symbolic than helpful. For the first three years of its existence, the governmental shelter only accepted women of Jordanian nationality, thus excluding the millions of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, South Asian domestic workers, and other foreign women, many of whom especially need the services provided by a shelter. For them, the only option was to turn to the JWU.
Compared to the governmental shelter, the JWU provides more than just refuge, it aims for the long-term empowerment of the woman. Not only do they provide sanctuary, a free medical clinic, and legal and psychological counseling, but they also help the women become independent. Women at the shelter have the opportunity to cook in the JWU’s kitchen, work at their beauty salon, take computer lessons, attend jewelry making lessons, and learn other crafts and trades through workshops and classes. One aim is certainly to help these women become more economically independent, but what the JWU is really doing is instilling in these women a sense of worth and pride. With higher self-confidence and self-esteem, these women have a chance at a better life.
The model of survivor support through empowerment that the JWU embodies is now being spread throughout the Arab world. The JWU is currently heading an initiative to establish similar shelters in Lebanon and Egypt at this time when the political and social space in the region is being upended. It is becoming more and more critical, now more than ever, that quality survivor support be available to women in these countries. The effectiveness of the JWU’s approach can be seen in many places, including their kitchen. Almost every woman who works there has at some point sought out the services of the organization and desired to give back in some way. Though the Jordanian Women’s Union provides an entire spectrum of services and programs, its mission is the same regardless of what floor you find yourself on: empowering women to empower others.
More than Just a Shelter
Walking up the stairs of the Jordanian Women’s Union (JWU) program building in Amman was like receiving an overview of all the different abuses women must endure. First floor: medical clinic. Second floor: children’s guest house, a place where divorced parents can visit their children in an environment less hostile than a police station. Third floor: crisis hotline that provides legal and psychological counseling. Fourth floor: shelter.
The shelter looked a lot like my dorm room from sophomore year. In the common room was a TV, couch, blankets, chairs, and a coffee table. Several bedrooms opened up into the common room, each with two occupants and a private bathroom. A young South Asian girl wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt lounged on the couch watching TV as I walked in.
“Marhaban.” Hello, I said to her in Arabic. I was nervous because I felt as if I were intruding on her personal space.
“Hi. How are you doing?” she replied in perfectly accented American English, completely unphased at seeing me and cheerful to boot. I barely had time to be surprised before I was introduced to another resident of the shelter, an older Iraqi woman. It was dark in the room and her hijab was so voluminous I could barely see her face, but even that could not hide the scars. She greeted us and then continued on her way down to the kitchen.
“She’s one of the victims of the war,” Hala, a lawyer at the JWU, explained in a somber voice as we descended back down the staircase. “She’s been here for many months now, who knows how much longer she’ll need.”
Thirteen years ago, women in the Arab world had no such safe space to retreat to when they needed to be protected. In a society in which domestic matters are dealt with largely by traditional Islamic family law, and internal disputes are meant to be private and not public affairs, political and social space had to be created in the community before a women’s shelter could be established.
In 1999, the JWU opened the doors of the first women’s shelter in the Middle East. Other countries soon followed suit, and their appearance was a tangible sign of a change in society, slowly but surely. Another shelter opened in Jordan in 2007, but this time it was a governmental shelter. The event was significant, but more symbolic than helpful. For the first three years of its existence, the governmental shelter only accepted women of Jordanian nationality, thus excluding the millions of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, South Asian domestic workers, and other foreign women, many of whom especially need the services provided by a shelter. For them, the only option was to turn to the JWU.
Compared to the governmental shelter, the JWU provides more than just refuge, it aims for the long-term empowerment of the woman. Not only do they provide sanctuary, a free medical clinic, and legal and psychological counseling, but they also help the women become independent. Women at the shelter have the opportunity to cook in the JWU’s kitchen, work at their beauty salon, take computer lessons, attend jewelry making lessons, and learn other crafts and trades through workshops and classes. One aim is certainly to help these women become more economically independent, but what the JWU is really doing is instilling in these women a sense of worth and pride. With higher self-confidence and self-esteem, these women have a chance at a better life.
The model of survivor support through empowerment that the JWU embodies is now being spread throughout the Arab world. The JWU is currently heading an initiative to establish similar shelters in Lebanon and Egypt at this time when the political and social space in the region is being upended. It is becoming more and more critical, now more than ever, that quality survivor support be available to women in these countries. The effectiveness of the JWU’s approach can be seen in many places, including their kitchen. Almost every woman who works there has at some point sought out the services of the organization and desired to give back in some way. Though the Jordanian Women’s Union provides an entire spectrum of services and programs, its mission is the same regardless of what floor you find yourself on: empowering women to empower others.
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