My name is Jamila Al-Jazi, and I faced so many challenges in the Southern desert (Badia), specifically in the Athruh district of General Kasbah - in Ma'an Governorate, in southern Jordan. I lived in very difficult and challenging circumstances. I was the eldest among my siblings, 8 girls and 3 boys, and my father's income was very little. Therefore, at the age of 15, I started working with him in farming a 100 acres land, supervising other workers in the land.  My father has put seeds of leadership in me since a young age. Later, I got married and now have 4 daughters and 2 sons. During this period, I was unemployed; there were no job opportunities in the Southern desert for women, as most of the available job opportunities are in the field of tourism, due to the touristic nature of the area. However, it wasn't socially acceptable for girls to work in that field despite the fact that there is a Faculty for Tourism and Archaeology in the region, which opens its door to all students even those who didn't finish high school successfully. However, the main obstacle toward girls to study and work in this field is the societal image; as it is considered as a big shame for them. As a result, girls in the area are still working mainly on farming and in occupations that are unfair to them.

Furthermore, there was an absence of women's association in the area, so I decided to challenge myself and work to change the status quo. I established an association for women only, aiming to empower women socially and economically, through teamwork and joint effort. I had a strong belief that economic empowerment will allow women to achieve self-fulfillment, as well as contribute to the development of their society.

Our initiative, "Be Brave, We Are All with You" aims at:

• Enable girls to obtain their right to appropriate education and training.
•  Qualify them to work in a place that preserves their rights.
•  Change the existing societal perception of women studying and working in Hotel Management.

 

How did we achieve our aim?

•  We held several home visits to the local community to discuss this issue and found great support and encouragement from women for the idea and for the need to change the perception. They agreed that most of the opportunities and jobs available in the region are within the hotel management field where workers enjoy important rights such as social and health insurance. Some women mentioned that even if the father or the family agreed that their girls’ study and work in this field, they are still fearful from community gossip and perception. We also collected information about opportunities, and grants available in the field, and conducted several workshops and awareness sessions to inform women about these possibilities. The feedback we received was very positive.
•  We managed to convince the dean of the Faculty of Archeology and the director of the Hotel Training Center to open a career coaching office in our association to provide those interested in the field with all the needed information and respond to their inquiries.
•  We convinced the municipal council, the delegation council, and the administrative governor to support the initiative financially and morally.  

• The main result of our initiative:

•  Strengthened girls' skills in negotiation, dialogue, and discussion to be able to convince their parents about the type of education they wish to accomplish.
• Our association became a focal point for the local community, especially women who need to discuss issues that are important to them.
• 10 girls registered in the institute to study hotel management, including  my daughter
• Established a guide office in our association / Athruh district, to provide interested students in the hotel management and Archeology study, with all the needed information and to respond to their inquiries.
• The mayor agreed to set up a full paid scholarship for 15 girls from the southern desert to support their tuition fees (and transportation) to join the College of Archeology and Tourism in Petra.
• 25 girls were employed in hotels, despite the social obstacles. We wish that many girls will follow them to enhance their economic circumstances. 

• In the end, I would add that on a personal level, I gained more confidence and credibility from the people of the region and I became a role model for women in my community when I bought a car, some asked me "Is it in the name of your husband? and my answer was "No, it is my car, registered in my name". I believe it is necessary to support women to take control of their resources and their decisions as this will enable them to overcome many of the constraints of norms and traditions.