Thirty women from different areas of Zarqa Governorate have successfully passed the in-house plumbing examination following the completion of a 20-day training course delivered by the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) and implemented through the Water Smart Homes Activity (WSHs-A.)
Recognizing this success, an official graduation ceremony was held on Wednesday April 15, 2015 at the premises of the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) in Russeifa, attended by families of the women graduates as well as representatives from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), MCA-Jordan, VTC, and other stakeholders including Micro fundFor Women (MFW) and local women NGOs.
The training was designed based on the curriculum of VTC, and delivered by six of VTC's highly qualified and certified trainers.
“We would like to commend the efforts of VTC and also to thank Mr. Majed Habashneh, VTC's General Director, for his continuous support. The ultimate objective of this program is to contribute in reducing poverty and reinforcing economic growth through generating opportunities for women of Zarqa Governorate in order to start sustainable small businesses or income generating activities that take into consideration the cultural, market and environmental aspects,” MCA-Jordan CEO Eng. Kamal Zoubi said.
“This training course is a vital part of the Women Plumber Program designed within the communication strategy of the Water Smart Homes-Activity in Zarqa Governorate,” said Lara Shahin, Project Manager, Water Smart Homes-Activity at MCA-Jordan.
“The trained women plumbers will also receive practical training for one year with the contractors of the infrastructure component of the WSHs-A, in addition to training on business planning and marketing, and will be equipped with tool boxes and marketing materials necessary to promote their future plumbing business,” Shahin added.
The WSHs-A is designed to improve home water systems and decrease household water costs. It has two main components;one for promoting household behavioral change in managing water in the houses across Zarqa Governorate. The other component focuses on providing water and wastewater systems’ improvements inside the dwellings of NAF beneficiaries in Zarqa Governorate.
MCA-Jordan is implementing the project via Cowater International Inc, a Canadian consultant firm, along with Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), Near East Electro mechanical Contracting Company and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP.)
The WSHs-A is implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account-Jordan (MCA-Jordan), a company owned by the Jordanian government to manage the $275 million dollar grant from the US Government’s MCC. This Activity is part of three main projects funded by this grant including the Water Network Project providing nearly 800 km of new drinking water pipes, the Wastewater Network Project building about 300 km of new sewage lines, and the As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Project doubling the capacity of the current facility. Together these projects help comprise an integrated water cycle that will lead to increased water supply and enhanced quality of living in Zarqa Governorate, therefore, achieving MCC’s objective of reducing poverty through economic growth.
MCC is funding three major water projects:
1) Water Network Project, which focuses on rehabilitating and restructuring up to 800 km the primary and secondary water network in Zarqa Governorate. MCA-Jordan has accomplished about 65% of the project. Under the same project, the company implements the Water Smart Homes-Activity, which is comprised of an awareness and behavioral change campaign that was launched in February this year to promote best in house wateranagement practices among the people of Zarqa Governorate. The Project also includes a direct intervention to maintain and repair a large portion of the water systems inside the houses of the beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund in Zarqa Governorate.
2) Wastewater Network Project, is providing up to 300 km of new sewage pipes for the Zarqa Governorate water utility. Extending wastewater sewer systems will dramatically reduce sewage overflows into city streets and improve the living and business environment. The company has completed 85% of the project.
3) The expansion of As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), in partnership with the private sector and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, will continue to use the industry’s most modern methods to handle 70% of the country’s entire sewage, including Amman, and provide 133 MCM annually of high quality treated water for irrigation in the Jordan Valley - over 10% of Jordan’s entire annual water.
The MCC funded projects formulate a complete water cycle for Jordan; the Water Network Project will increase the supply of water to the citizens of the Zarqa Governorate, the used wastewateris then channeled through the expanded Wastewater Network Project, and finally,the wastewater is treated through the As-Samra plant providing more water for reuse and irrigation in the Jordan Valley.