ASILE Civil Society Group
Arab Women Organization – Jordan
Description of organisation
The Arab Women Organization of Jordan (AWO) is a woman’s rights organization established in 1970. Since inception, it started serving refugee women in the Baqaa Camp for Palestinian refugees, with permanent premises still there. Since 2011, AWO has been involved in serving Syrian refugees (mainly women and girls) in 5 different women centers in the hosting communities in Irbid, Mafraq, and Zarqa provinces.
In registration, AWO is classified as a human rights organization covering all geographical areas across Jordan. This has allowed AWO to start a sisterhood “Network”, under the name: Mosawa (Equality) Network with over 100 women-led grassroots Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). AWO and Mosawa Network members are involved in serving Syrian refugees in collaboration with INGOs (like: IRC, UN Trust Fund, UN WPHF & CARE Int.) Spanish donors (like AECID, ACCED, Fons Catalan and Barcelona Municipality) and Action Aid. In the 5 women centers, AWO performs GBV services (Case-Management, Psychological assistance, Healing processes), Legal consultations, Life Skills and Vocational trainings. Men and boys are outreached to support gender equality and women’s rights. As it is always difficult to attract elder women and adolescent girls to AWO advocacy events and awareness-raising session, outreach programs (home visits) are undertaken.
AWO can easily outreach over 20 local CBOs involved in serving women Syrian refugees in Irbid and Mafraq and an equal number serving Syrian refugees across Jordan. AWO had conducted few studies on the Syrian refugees but has a few reports on their conditions. These conditions are highlighted in the monitoring and shadow reports presented to the UN monitoring bodies, as in the periodic meetings of the CEDAW Committee and the UPR periodic sessions at the Human Rights Council (HRC). Alongside, AWO has been involved in carrying out developmental programs and projects to end discrimination and violence against women and contributed to women political participation in line with the UN conventions and international and regional instruments. AWO has been advocating for legal reform and mobilizing women at the grassroots level for change according to Goal 5 of the SDGs and the Global Agenda 2030.
Staff Profile
Ms. Wesal Abdullah
Program Coordinator at Arab Women Organization of Jordan
Wesal Abdullah works as a Program Coordinator at Arab Women Organization of Jordan. In this position she is dealing with the donors and supervising the service centers in the Syrian crisis response projects. She is also in charge of managing humanitarian response projects and thus is in direct contact with refugee women and girls. Initially she joined the organisation as a field coordinator in 2015. Previously she worked as a Head of Social Committee (Volunteer) at HIV & LAW Initiative, a project funded by the International Development Law Organization. She also was a Campaign Consultant at Women and Girls Lead Global and acted as a Change Maker in Lana Project at ARDD Legal Aid targeting gender-based violence in Jordan. 2012-2014 she was working as a Research Assistant at the University of Jordan, and prior to that – as a Project Coordinator at Habiliation Association of Jordanian Women.
