“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 space for dialogue that promotes human rights, good governance, and community participation, and contributes to opening channels of communication between citizens and decision-makers.
By hosting experts, activists, and sharing stories from local life, “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.
There are countless stories of women working to save their communities, which are mired in the tragedies of discrimination, exclusion, deprivation, inequality, struggling economies, unemployment, and poverty. This is why the “Rural Women’s Forum – Equal Movement in the Rural Areas” was established. We see the mobilization of civil society, especially women, as an urgent step towards institutionalizing feminist work in rural areas, advocating for women’s rights, and confronting the violence, discrimination, and exclusion systematically practiced against women in rural communities by some. Thus, the Equal Movement was founded in 2020, taking upon itself the responsibility of giving voice to the voiceless and creating solidarity among rural communities to move towards change, achieve justice and equality, and adopt human rights standards. This aims to place the priorities of rural women on the agendas of policymakers at the local and national levels, in accordance with international standards of human rights and dignity.
As we reflect on the harsh realities of change, crises, resistance, and conflict in the Arab region, we hope to persevere and adapt to this evolving landscape. We also aim to mobilize national and international solidarity to sustain our collective work and shared achievements for rural women’s communities over the next three years. This year, we strive to continue deepening, developing, and building the rural feminist movement, despite the overlapping challenges faced by civil society and women amidst the oppression, violence, vulnerability, conflict, and instability plaguing the region, which have made women more susceptible to abuse, marginalization, and injustice.
From 2020 to 2024, we delivered fearless interventions and published research, policy briefs, and analyses on the intersections of gender, justice, and equality in rural areas. We embraced the pursuit of bold feminist agendas within coalition spaces—from local feminist politics to the broader feminist movement. We look forward to taking this momentum to new heights, driven by the rural feminist struggle for gender justice in rural areas. This will ensure the sustainability of this rural feminist movement and lead to genuine recognition of women’s role as equal partners in development, political decision-making, party work, and local governance, based on justice and equality.
We seek to sustain solidarity and cooperation with partners and donors to fund our interventions aimed at reducing violence, discrimination, and exclusion against women in rural and marginalized areas. These areas require urgent intervention and an emergency response to support the protection of rural women’s future and to end all forms of discrimination, violence, and exclusion.
This safe space serves as a vital platform dedicated to providing psychosocial and artistic support to women survivors of violence. It is a core component of the Center for Change Agents for Sustainable Development. The space aims to restore the dignity of abused women and empower them to overcome the traumatic experiences through a supportive environment that fosters recovery and personal empowerment, addressing the challenges women face in local communities, particularly in rural and marginalized areas.
The space offers comprehensive psychosocial support programs, including individual and group sessions with psychosocial counselors, as well as therapeutic art activities that serve as tools for expression and healing, such as drawing, writing, theater, and handicrafts. It also provides vocational and artistic training that contributes to building women’s capacities and equipping them with employable or self-employment skills, opening new horizons for economic independence and sustainable recovery.
The space also focuses on raising awareness of the rights and laws that protect women from violence through educational sessions and awareness workshops in partnership with lawyers and gender experts. The space encourages women to reclaim their societal roles by creating a participatory and safe environment that fosters mutual support networks and strengthens feelings of belonging and empowerment. It also strives to break the silence surrounding gender-based violence and combat the stigma associated with it.
This space represents a comprehensive model for recovery and empowerment, combining psychological support with vocational and economic rehabilitation. It is based on a holistic and humane approach that considers the needs of women at different stages of their lives. The space has helped many women survivors rebuild their lives with confidence and independence, making each participant a story of transformation, resilience, and renewed hope.
