The Jordan Civil Society Initiative

Civil society in Jordan suffers from weak capacity and broad fragmentation. An evaluation conducted by the WANA Institute in 2014, engaging 30 civil society organisations (CSOs) from all governorates, found that they lack key technical skills in programme design, results-driven implementation and impact evaluation. They also lack an in-depth and evidence-based understanding of their operating environment, as well as a theory of change within which to situate organisational development and advocacy.

NGOs/CSOs compete rather than collaborate. Therefore, there is little joint planning, beneficiary coordination or programming based on economies of scale. In the absence of a shared understanding of development goals and how they are to be achieved, donor funding agencies set priorities through their funding schedules. As a result, civil society exists principally as a job provider and a vehicle for external imperatives, as opposed to what it should be: an active stakeholder in development, a voice for the marginalised, and an objective check and balance of the government.

The institute’s civil society project aims to facilitate a levelling of the playing field and to empower NGOs and CSOs to advocate for funding modalities that better respond to Jordan’s development imperatives, while strengthening their role in improving the reach and impact of assistance delivery. The WANA Institute believes that trust in the organisations’ voice and ability to influence, can be institutionally developed through enhanced coordination and more strategic engagement.

Activities

The activities mainly target women, youth, and refugees in the governorates of Amman, Zarqa, Mafraq, and Karak.

• Qualitative assessment of 135 CSOs’ needs and strengths
• White paper on the value added by a strengthened civil society in Jordan
• 12 capacity building sessions for 15 to 25 CSOs to build core skills in civil society community development
• Development of an advocacy strategy for a mutually beneficial working relationship between Jordanian civil society and the Jordanian government
• Roundtable on a strengthened civil society sector in Jordan

Funding provided by the United States Government