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Field Ready’s training and production of mobility aids in Jordan in partnership with the Al Hussein Society-Jordan Center (AHS) for Training and Inclusion and Un Ponte Per has just concluded.
This project provided vocational training and involvement in generating activities for marginalized vulnerable individuals in the labor market, psychosocial disabilities. The overall aim of this project is to contribute to employment opportunities for these groups.
There were 20 participants; 12 had a disability and were refugees, and the remaining participants were AHS staff. The gender makeup of the training was 15 men and 5 women.
The training consisted of a 10-day introductory workshop followed by 11 weeks of skill-building activities. The skills taught included carpentry, metal-works, sewing, product design, product prototyping, and testing.
There were a number of practical items created, such as a removable wheelchair tray, foldable fixed handrail, wheelchair cup holder, a foldable umbrella for a wheelchair and a wheelchair cushion. All of these were designed and made by the participants themselves - as shown in the photo below:
All of the participants demonstrated improvements in technical knowledge and skill by the end of the training, and the AHS staff have built on their capacity to provide technical assistance to their beneficiaries.
The participants now have the know-how and confidence to move forward with making and modifying useful items for their use as well as others. We are confident that the participants will be able to find employment with their new and improved skills.
Moving forward, we want to expand and continue this training in Jordan and elsewhere. There is a great need to further invest in inclusion for refugees and people with disabilities to create sustainable job opportunities and expand the vulnerable populations we work with.
Our next steps are to ensure training and other training and employment opportunities, funding and the continued workshop tools.
We are so pleased with the hard work of the participants and are eager to see how this training enables them to continue to achieve great things in the future!