The USAID Takamol program was a flagship initiative to support gender equity and female empowerment in Jordan, particularly within the political, labor, justice, and education sectors.

The program delivered support mechanisms, in-kind assistance, training, and grants to bolster the Jordanian National Commission for Women, Jordanian government ministries and semigovernmental organizations, local organizations, and universities in mainstreaming gender at policy, national, and community levels.

• Over 400 Jordanian government institutions and civil society organizations demonstrated improved capacity to address gender equality and female empowerment.
• 71 local organizations received financial and technical support, holding hundreds of activities to generate community engagement and raise awareness on local issues and how they intersect with gender.
• The program organized the first ever gender and climate change conference in Jordan.
• 11 participatory gender audits were conducted by members of government ministries and institutions, with guidance from IREX.
• The Faces of Takamol Facebook page is followed by over 44,000 people, has featured over 300 stories and 20 social dialogue campaigns, and has received more than 23,000 comments. The program’s “Masculinities” social dialogue campaign alone reached 124,265 people.
• Takamol supported the Princess Sumaya University for Technology in establishing Jordan’s first institutional review board to ensure that social science and qualitative research with human subjects follow ethical standards.

• Expand social dialogue on gender equality through gender-sensitive messaging and outreach on equality and female empowerment
• Strengthen enforcement and advocacy for female empowerment by building the capacity of the government of Jordan and local NGOs

• Support to gender equity efforts of the Government of Jordan: Takamol provides technical support to the Government of Jordan, the Jordanian National Commission for Women, and other national-level organizations to develop policies and practices to mainstream gender in Jordan’s political, labor, justice, and education sectors.
• National dialogue: The program supports social dialogue campaigns on diverse gender equality topics, including on encouraging and empowering women to participate as voters and electoral candidates and to pursue nontraditional career paths.
• Gender audit teams: Staff-led and IREX-supported gender audit teams assessed gender gaps in the administrative policies of 11 government entities to improve conditions for women in the public sector.
• Gender focal points: Takamol worked to institutionalize gender focal points across government agencies and formalize their role. The program collaborated closely with the Jordanian National Commission for Women in developing capacity building plans for government employees.
• Networks of leaders: Spanning 12 governorates, networks of hundreds of local leaders and gender champions received technical assistance and mentorship, enabling them to create positive change in their communities.

• Small grants mechanism: Over 70 local organizations received small grants to implement gender-related community initiatives throughout Jordan. Initiatives have focused on decentralization, political participation, economic

E-mail: commsdesk@irex.org