Voices Heard: Empowering Sawt Ajloun Radio
🎯 General Objective: “Enhancing local community media as a tool for development and positive change in Ajloun Governorate through the
15 May، 2025
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It is a community radio station aimed at creating a community dialogue through social media and community media to address the social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental challenges faced by youth, women, marginalized groups, and regions within the governorate. It also seeks to raise awareness about human rights concepts, the Sustainable Development Goals, and community participation in achieving them. Furthermore, it promotes the concepts of dialogue, youth engagement in public affairs, decision-making mechanisms, good governance, and accountability, while opening channels of communication between citizens and decision-makers
“Sawt Ajloun Podcast” is a community podcast that reflects the concerns and aspirations of the people of Ajloun Governorate, especially youth, women, and marginalized groups, through interactive dialogue episodes focusing on social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental issues.
The podcast aims to create a safe conversational space that promotes human rights concepts, good governance, and community participation, while helping to open channels of communication between citizens and decision-makers.
By hosting experts, activists, and sharing stories from local realities, “Sawt Ajloun” seeks to build critical awareness, spread a culture of accountability, and support efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in rural and marginalized communities.
The Rural Kitchen is one of the projects of the Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development. It aims to empower rural youth by equipping them with the necessary skills to produce food efficiently and professionally. The project focuses on teaching cooking techniques (including food and desserts) using locally available ingredients in rural areas, thereby promoting local food culture and contributing to improving food security.
This is achieved through workshops and training courses, providing young men and women with the opportunity to acquire cooking and food presentation skills. This contributes to improving their quality of life and enhances their ability to manage small and micro food-related enterprises.
Additionally, the Rural Kitchen aims to increase the income of rural families by training them on how to market food and desserts and prepare food products that can be sold in local or external markets. By providing these skills, the Rural Kitchen contributes to sustainable development in rural areas by strengthening the links between local agriculture and the food industry, helping to build a more sustainable and inclusive rural community
This space aims to support and develop entrepreneurs and innovators working on sustainable environmental solutions in rural areas. The Green Business Incubator provides a nurturing environment that encourages innovation and creativity in renewable energy, waste management, sustainable agriculture, and environmental conservation technologies.
By offering technical support, consulting, and training in entrepreneurial skills, the Green Business Incubator enables rural youth to launch their projects and achieve their environmental goals.
Additionally, the incubator offers a network of connections with environmental experts, funding institutions, and international organizations, facilitating access to funding opportunities and project expansion.
The incubator’s goal is to equip rural communities with the tools and skills needed to achieve sustainable development through projects that improve environmental conditions and create new job opportunities, thereby enhancing the quality of life in rural areas and balancing economic development with environmental protection.
Amid the economic and social challenges faced by youth in local communities, and based on the vision of the Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development to empower individuals and build their capacities, the “Entrepreneurs’ Space” was launched as one of the pioneering initiatives aimed at supporting and enabling youth, women, and entrepreneurs at various stages of their projects.
This space serves as an incubator platform for ideas and emerging projects, providing a stimulating environment for learning, innovation, collaboration, and exchange of experiences among ambitious youth. It also offers participants access to educational resources, specialized training, technical and administrative consultations, and local and regional support networks that contribute to transforming ideas into sustainable projects with social and economic impact.
The importance of the “Entrepreneurs’ Space” lies in promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and freelance work, and nurturing creative energies, especially in marginalized areas, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals—particularly those related to quality education, decent work, and reducing inequalities.
This is a safe and dedicated educational space aimed at empowering women and young women in rural areas to learn skills in mobile phone and computer maintenance, and to gain practical experience that qualifies them to enter the labor market or launch their own projects.
The initiative seeks to break stereotypes around technical roles and provide vocational training opportunities that meet modern needs, thereby contributing to enhancing women’s economic independence and increasing their participation in digital and technical sectors.
Through hands-on training workshops and supervision by specialists, this space offers women the chance to build real technical capabilities and fosters creativity and innovation in a supportive and safe environment, enabling them to support their communities and achieve personal fulfillment.
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The “Green Recycling Park” represents a safe and open space for learning and acquiring practical skills in recycling and environmental sustainability, specifically targeting rural residents. This initiative aims to raise environmental awareness among youth and women in rural areas, promote a culture of natural resource conservation, and reduce waste through hands-on learning and community participation.
The park offers specialized training workshops on how to recycle household and plastic materials, transforming waste into usable products, in addition to courses on sustainable agriculture, eco-garden design, and organic fertilizer production. The space also provides participants with the opportunity to develop innovative, eco-friendly projects that serve their communities and offer local solutions to environmental challenges.
Through the “Green Recycling Park,” the Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development strives to create a conscious and proactive generation capable of positively engaging with environmental issues and actively contributing to building a cleaner, fairer, and more sustainable future in rural Jordan.
“Masarat Space” is one of the sustainable spaces within the Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development. It aims to promote eco-tourism and community-based tourism in Ajloun Governorate, considering it a key driver for economic recovery and comprehensive development. The space focuses on harnessing the rich natural and cultural resources that characterize Ajloun—such as forests, reserves, and historical sites—and empowers local residents, especially women and youth, to actively engage in tourism value chains by supporting community initiatives and providing fair and sustainable employment opportunities.
The space seeks to highlight Ajloun’s distinguished tourist destinations while promoting a culture of domestic tourism through organizing regular field trips to natural and heritage sites, combined with educational, awareness, and community activities. It also works to promote Ajloun’s tourism identity by showcasing flagship projects like the Ajloun Teleferic, fostering entrepreneurship and leadership spirit in the eco-tourism and responsible tourism sectors, thereby contributing to building a green local economy that enhances resilience and enshrines the principle of “leaving no one behind.”
Keeping pace with modern digital transformations, Masarat produces diverse interactive digital content broadcasted via media and community platforms to introduce visitors and investors to the tourist sites and available opportunities. This content includes introductory videos, visual reports, and digital promotional campaigns aimed at conveying the true beauty of Ajloun’s landscapes, culture, and natural resources. This, in turn, helps stimulate sustainable tourism, raise environmental awareness, and enhance community participation in protecting the natural and touristic heritage of the governorate.
The Information Technology Space at the Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development is a knowledge-based and innovative environment dedicated to enhancing digital capacities among various community groups, especially youth and women in rural and marginalized areas. This space aims to empower local communities to engage with the digital revolution and develop their technological skills, thereby helping to bridge the digital divide, improve access to the job market, and encourage technology entrepreneurship.
The space offers a diverse range of training programs and practical workshops in fields such as programming, website design, digital content management, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and artificial intelligence. It also provides opportunities for applied learning through real-world digital projects and mentorship from experts and specialists, enabling participants to build employable skills and develop technological solutions that meet their communities’ needs.
The space seeks to foster an inclusive digital community based on innovation and continuous learning. It encourages critical thinking and digital collaboration, providing a participatory environment that empowers participants to transform their ideas into effective digital initiatives. Additionally, it supports entrepreneurial groups in launching tech startups and promotes a culture of digital social innovation as a means to achieve sustainable development and active community participation in the digital age.
Within the shared vision of empowering youth and building their capacities in the fields of media and sustainable development, the Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development and Sawt Ajloun Community Radio have launched a series of fellowship and training programs targeting young people, community activists, and those interested in the media field. The goal is to enhance their active participation in their communities’ issues and equip them with tools for influence and change.
These programs stem from the importance of investing in local youth energies and strengthening their roles in community media and social change-making. The core objectives of the programs focus on:
Empowering trainees with practical skills in radio media, community project planning, and local leadership.
Transferring the accumulated knowledge and experience gained by the center and radio station through years of community work.
Promoting values of active citizenship, participation, dialogue, transparency, and accountability.
Graduating qualified young cadres capable of effectively contributing to local community development and working in media and development institutions.
The fellowship and training programs offered by Sawt Ajloun Radio and the Intermediaries of Change Center represent a dynamic model for building youth capacities in media and development, emphasizing the importance of investing in human capital as the first step toward a more aware, engaged, and just society. Work continues to expand and develop these programs to include a larger number of participants and open doors for creativity and influence at both local and national levels.
The Modern Agriculture Technologies Space is one of the specialized hubs at the Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development. It aims to promote sustainable and smart agricultural practices in rural communities, especially given the challenges posed by climate change and economic pressures faced by farmers. The space strives to transfer knowledge and skills related to modern agriculture to farmers, youth, and women by providing an educational and experimental environment that enhances productivity while reducing the depletion of natural resources.
The space offers advanced training programs in areas such as hydroponics, vertical farming, the use of smart drip irrigation systems, agricultural waste recycling, and crop management through remote sensing and artificial intelligence technologies. It also supports small-scale community agricultural initiatives and provides participants with hands-on learning opportunities to implement sustainable agricultural models adaptable to their local environments.
The Modern Agriculture Technologies Space seeks to cultivate new environmental and agricultural awareness grounded in innovation and efficient resource use. This contributes to strengthening local food security, generating additional income for farmers and their families, and creating green job opportunities for youth. Moreover, the space acts as a platform for networking among farmers, experts, and innovators in the agricultural sector, enhancing rural communities’ capacities to adapt to climate change and achieve sustainable agricultural development.
A development project aimed at improving employment opportunities for young men and women in Ajloun Governorate, with a focus on women’s economic empowerment.
The project is implemented by the Change Makers Center for Sustainable Development, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The project was implemented in 2018 in Ajloun Governorate, Jordan, by the Change Makers Center for Sustainable Development.
It aims to empower rural women in the most impoverished areas by enhancing their economic and social capacities.
The “Empowering Women for the Labor Market” project aims to train women and youth in Ajloun Governorate on the job skills necessary to enter the labor market. The project is implemented in collaboration with the Business Development Center and supported by the USAID Takamol Gender Program. It seeks to enhance participants’ ability to adapt to the demands of both local and international markets.
The project aims to economically and socially empower rural women, especially in the most impoverished areas. It is implemented by the Change Makers Center for Sustainable Development in cooperation with the Sakib Women’s Charity Association, and supported by Expertise France as part of the Social Protection Sector Support Programme funded by the European Union.
The “Training for Change” project aims to strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations, particularly women and youth organizations, in monitoring environmental policies in northern and southern Jordan. It seeks to empower these organizations to play an active oversight role in environmental governance and to enhance community participation in protecting natural resources.
The Change Makers for Sustainable Development Center served as the official incubator for these initiatives, hosting and supporting five funded projects, each with a budget of €25,000. This contributed to empowering local organizations and enhancing their ability to achieve sustainable community impact in the field of environmental protection.
The project “Towards Enhancing Women’s Economic Participation in Jordan” aims to support women-led entrepreneurial ventures by providing financial assistance and guidance to 30 women-led startups through 7 business incubators located in Ajloun, Jerash, Irbid, Karak, East Amman, Ain Al-Basha, and Zarqa.
The Change Makers for Sustainable Development Center managed and funded these incubators through its local partners. Each beneficiary received €5,000 in financial support, along with technical and professional assistance in areas such as business model development, feasibility studies, management and planning, recruitment, compliance, branding, marketing, financial management, human resources, contract and labor laws, and networking.
The project included 123 days of capacity building, tailored to each sector and the specific needs of each venture, in addition to 160 days of mentoring and coaching to monitor progress and provide technical support.
As a result, 30 licensed women-led businesses were developed across sectors including tourism and services, recycling and agriculture, handicrafts (crochet and weaving), e-commerce, design, photography, and printing. The project created over 50 job opportunities through freelance and formal employment, generating income for women in the targeted communities.
Launching 30 licensed projects led by women.
Providing more than 50 jobs for women.
Improving women’s income and economic participation.
The Green Entrepreneurship Center is a business incubator aimed at supporting and developing entrepreneurs and innovators who provide sustainable environmental solutions in rural areas. The center encourages innovation in renewable energy, waste management, sustainable agriculture, and environmental protection technologies. By offering technical support, consulting, and training in entrepreneurial skills, the center provides rural youth with the opportunity to launch their projects and achieve their environmental goals, connecting them with a network of environmental experts, funding institutions, and international organizations to enhance financing opportunities and expand their reach. The Change Agents for Sustainable Development Center has taken on the role of the official incubator, having hosted 9 green entrepreneurial projects, supporting local entrepreneurs in capacity building, achieving sustainable development, and creating new jobs with financial support of 5,000 Jordanian Dinars per project, thereby promoting a balance between economic development and environmental protection in rural communities.
Supporting entrepreneurs and startups in building sustainable projects. Providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary for economic independence. Promoting entrepreneurial awareness and resilience.
Organizing workshops on financial sustainability, crisis management, and business strategies.
Supporting and funding 5 projects (with €5000 for each project).
Providing mentorship and capacity building for startups in key sectors.
Five startups were successfully incubated and funded.
Improving entrepreneurship skills among youth and local entrepreneurs.
Enhancing the ability to develop sustainable businesses.
The project “From Innovation to Formation” aims to support entrepreneurs and startup owners in Jordan by organizing a series of dialogue sessions and various activities to raise entrepreneurial awareness and equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to achieve economic independence and develop their projects. The project is implemented by the Development Pioneers Foundation and includes workshops covering topics such as financial sustainability, leveraging crises to increase income, and evaluating successful closure decisions for struggling companies. The Change Agents Center for Sustainable Development took on the role of the official incubator, hosting five projects within its entrepreneurial space for a year, with funding of up to €5,000 per project. The center also provided a capacity-building pathway, including mentoring, model development, and providing work tools for five startups in the tourism, agriculture, and services sectors, thereby enhancing the capabilities of local entrepreneurs and enabling them to achieve project sustainability.
Supporting entrepreneurs and startups in building sustainable projects. Providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary for economic independence. Promoting entrepreneurial awareness and resilience.
Organizing workshops on financial sustainability, crisis management, and business strategies.
Supporting and funding 5 projects (with €5000 for each project).
Providing mentorship and capacity building for startups in key sectors.
Five startups were successfully incubated and funded.
Improving entrepreneurship skills among youth and local entrepreneurs.
Enhancing the ability to develop sustainable businesses.
🎯 General Objective: “Enhancing local community media as a tool for development and positive change in Ajloun Governorate through the
“This project aims to engage youth in the tourism sector by promoting tourist sites as a sustainable development pathway in
“The ‘Steps to Improve Education in Rural Areas’ project aims to enhance access to quality education for school students in
“This project aims to empower women in Jordan by enhancing their economic participation, improving their access to economic opportunities, and
