ART AND BUILDING WOMEN'S RESILIENCE IN JORDAN
This project explores how women in Amman, Jordan utilize art as a tool for agency-building and resilience. During a month-long internship at the Jordan River Foundation, a non-profit, community-based organization, I helped conduct art therapy classes. These courses were offered to vulnerable women from the community to promote healing through creative expression. Working alongside these women exposed me to the various ways art can impact their lives. Some found art therapy helped build communication skills, therefore improving relationships with their spouse and children, while others developed a deeper understanding of themselves. Listening to their powerful stories of strength and the ways in which art can be used to solve problems in their lives inspired me to create this project. The goal of this gallery is to serve as a platform to share these women's stories in their own words. Each profile includes artwork, a description of the activity, and a translated interview or summary.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project was made possible by the incredible staff at Jordan River Foundation. Without the help and guidance of this organization and its amazing staff, this project would not be possible. I wanted to thank Roola Alqutaitat for conducting the interviews, Ruba Hijlih for the translations, and the women willing to share their stories.
JORDAN RIVER FOUNDATION: HISTORY, MISSION, AND PROGRAMS
Explore what this non-profit, non-partisan organization does, its history, and how it has impacted the country. To learn more, head over to JRF's Website.
BACKGROUND & MISSION
Jordan River Foundation (JRF) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1995 and chaired by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan. The main focus of the organization pertains to child safety and community empowerment. Driven by social justice, responsibility, impactful intervention, sustainability, and socioeconomic empowerment, JRF strives to alleviate poverty. This organization has 208 community-based partners, 35,000 professionals and community members receiving specialized training, and 82,000 children, families, and women receiving protection and parenting support.
PROGRAMS
Some of the many programs JRF offers includes initiatives that empower communities, protect children, and build social enterprises. ‘Community Empowerment’ program provides local communities with economic opportunities to improve livelihoods. ‘Protecting Children’ initiatives focus on intervention and prevention of child abuse. Finally, ‘Social Enterprises’, provides local women and female refugees entrepreneurial skills to become breadwinners. This is achieved through handicrafts to be sold at the Jordan River Designs and culinary arts made and sold at a partner organization “The Kitchen.”