Elevate Social Businesses partners with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development to empower women in Jordan

Elevate Social Businesses (“Elevate”), in partnership with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), announced its support for a new initiative Elevate Jordan, which will empower women in Jordan with training on entrepreneurship skills, supply essential products for sale in low-income Jordanian communities, and create a women’s network. Elevate Jordan will work with 100 women in the Mafraq region which has been impacted by a large refugee influx, in its six-month pilot project, providing them with a new livelihood opportunity to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. Elevate and KAFD recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding reflecting their commitment to this new project.

Elevate Jordan is an opportunity for non-profit organizations, the Jordanian government, and the private sector to engage and collaborate on women’s empowerment. Elevate Jordan is working closely with the Jordan River Foundation in its outreach to women and is looking to partner with local and international manufacturers and distributors of food and consumer products.

Frank Giustra, President and founder of the Radcliffe Foundation and Chairman of Elevate, remarked, “I am delighted that we can support Jordanian women and further our commitment to create livelihood opportunities for both Jordanian women and refugees through an inclusive distribution social business model. We are tapping into the entrepreneurial potential of women and helping communities access products at affordable prices.”

Elevate builds and supports inclusive distribution social businesses in developing countries that empower women through providing essential products for them to sell in low-income communities. It aims to improve the quality of life for women, their families, and their communities in a sustainable, market-driven way.

On his part, H.E. Emad N. Fakhouri; Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, stressed on the importance of this private – public sector partnership in Jordan for the benefit of increasing job opportunities among targeted local communities. Echoing the main focus on such initiatives to empower local women by providing them with the necessary financial and training resources required to enhance their lives and creating a positive outcome for their families, in addition to reinforcing their contribution within the sustainable developmental efforts in the local community.

KAFD, a non-governmental organization established in 2001 by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, enhances productivity through implementing development projects in Jordan that help alleviate poverty and unemployment in partnership with the private and the public sectors. KAFD's activities are focused on five areas: entrepreneurship, employability development, communication and community awareness, capacity building, and the All Jordan Youth Commission.

Only 19 per cent of all women residing in Jordan are currently employed, and a majority of those women (57 per cent) would work if they had the opportunity. A recent study released by UN Women suggests that external obstacles to the labour market are the bigger hurdle to women’s economic empowerment rather than women’s individual attitudes.

More than just a livelihood opportunity, Elevate Jordan is a means to bring strength and dignity back to unemployed Jordanian women as well as to refugee women.  Elevate Jordan will empower women to provide for their families and to draw on the strength that comes from being part of a women’s network.