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The Community Development Institute Model
The Community Development Institute (CDI) model was built upon the success of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation’s 1989 Quality of Life regional model for integrated development and capacity building at the grassroots level. It introduced sustainable improvements in healthcare, education, and economic productivity through training, gender-balanced participatory decision making, and the provision of revolving loan funds managed by the communities themselves.
Over the last decade, the model evolved to further promote entrepreneurship, enhance community mobilization and civil society’s role as effective agents for positive change. CDI introduced a novel incubation methodology where each micro or small enterprise receives tailored training at the business location as well as coaching and counseling services through a hotline. Civil society organizations, social enterprises, family businesses, women, and youth across Jordan are provided with business literacy, product development, market knowledge, and vocational training.
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Internship and apprenticeship opportunities are also accessible to improve livelihoods and resilience, particularly to youth and refugees.
Moreover, CDI focuses on building the capacity and good governance of civil society organizations by enhancing their institutional, managerial, and operational capacities. To ensure community needs are integral in the local development plans, CDI facilitates synergies between civil society initiatives and local development authorities as well as the private sector. Local communities and civil society organizations are also mobilized to become catalysts for sustainable development by bringing to the forefront of local community plans consideration to the triple bottom effects that focus on social and environmental concerns just as on economic gains.
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Previously, CDI led two national programs, Qudorat (2004-2009) and the Poverty Pockets Program (2005-2013) in nine governorates in Jordan.
Communities and community-based organizations were mobilized to support national efforts in alleviating poverty by creating job opportunities in market-driven enterprises, building capacities, increasing accessibility to microcredit, and improving infrastructure to improve the quality of life of marginalized communities.
In 2019, mobilizing civil society and promoting social initiatives in partnership with the public sector was realized in Irbid, Balqa, Aqaba, Ajloun and Amman.
For the first time, 124 community-based organizations’ strategic plans were aligned with the governorates’ development plans, and 58 social-driven initiatives were granted. Examples of such initiatives include creating job opportunities for women and youth through training and apprenticeship, creating awareness on health issues, and strengthening services for people with disabilities.
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