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In the Jordan Valley, entrepreneurs, especially women and youth entrepreneurs, have limited access to markets, business development services, and finance. In addition, there are negative social and cultural perceptions of youth and women’s work and entrepreneurship. As a result, promising entrepreneurs are not able to bring their good ideas to fruition or develop job-creating businesses at a time of heightened economic fragility in Jordan.
To increase the contribution of Jordanian women and youth to Jordan’s economic growth. This was accomplished by improving the entrepreneurial and business acumen of women and youth and by reducing their barriers to entry (market and societal/cultural) for enterprise development.
18,000 women and youth with the programming areas of access to finance, food processing, community based tourism and clean technology.
Over 5 years, MEDA Jordan collaborated with diverse partners including private companies, service providers (private and non-governmental), and financial institutions. Through our local partners, JVL assisted approximately 18,000 women and youth entrepreneurs in managing their own businesses, which contributed to Jordan’s economic growth. Women and youth were supported with training and mentorship to improve their business knowledge and linked to markets where they sold their products and services. Through our project, MEDA provided training, coaching/mentorship, and business linkages for micro and small-medium enterprises, as well as conducted gender awareness and sensitization training. Saving and Loan Groups were established to facilitate access to finance and a Business Plan Competition provided start-up and growth funds to drive women and youth-led businesses.
To gain a comprehensive overview of the projects achievements and gather insights from project partners and clients, please view a recorded version of our closing event “Enduring Legacy: Economic Empowerment of Women and Youth through linking them with the Market”, and the panels on Gender Equality, Private Sector Engagement, and Savings and Loan Group.
Families, Community Members, Market Actors
Select client stories and information on their businesses, as well as overall project achievements, have been compiled in a bilingual (English-Arabic) booklet.
The team faced several challenges during the project which provided many opportunities for learning and innovation. Some key lessons included:
You can find more information on our innovations and learning on the JVL Learning Series page.
Mennonite Economic Development Associates is an international economic development organization that creates business solutions to poverty.
MEDA International is a Canadian non-share capital not-for-profit corporation incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.
Mennonite Economic Development Associates is a 501(c)(3) status non-profit organization in the United States: EIN 23-7398678.
Mennonite Economic Development Associates of Canada is a registered charity in Canada: No. 107 691 057 RR0001.
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