FHI - Strengthening Jordanian Families through Counseling and Services

DECEMBER 2007 — The Family Guidance and Awareness Center offers an array of health and legal services, psychological counseling, support for victims of domestic violence, and women and children's development services, including vocational training. The cornerstone of FGAC services is a free hotline, which is staffed by trained counselors and receives more than 120 calls each month with questions on law, psychological issues, employment, and other topics.

FGAC was established in 1996 in a small office in Zarqa. An offshoot of the Housewives Association, the Center aimed to increase awareness of family legal, psychological, and social issues. Just over a decade later, FGAC now offers about 10 programs, provided services to more than 40,000 clients, and has secured the support it needs from USAID and the public and private sectors to purchase its own building and develop permanent homes for its programs.Family Health International selected FGAC to participate in Jordan's first training of trainers for HIV peer educators in 2002. With funding from USAID's Rapid Response Fund, FHI continued to provide technical assistance to help FGAC build capacity to provide HIV-related services. In 2006, FGAC became one of FHI's local implementing agencies. The ongoing assistance and funding from FHI and USAID allowed FGAC to launch strategic behavioral communications (SBC) programs on HIV for vulnerable populations. FGAC's outreach targets workers from small businesses, taxi drivers, and workers from the surrounding qualified industrial zones that employ thousands of migrant workers from countries with significantly higher HIV prevalence rates.

FGAC has conducted over 1,000 HIV awareness sessions and reached over 12,000 people with its messages. But the numbers do not tell the full story. FGAC President Nadia Bushnaq explains: "Our partnership with FHI and support from USAID allowed us to expand services from the community to the workplace, where we serve as a vital source of information and provide linkages to local services for people who might otherwise go unserved."

The work is not easy, but can be very rewarding, says Saed Rgahib, an FGAC peer educator. Saed initially hesitated to join the workplace outreach team after he was beaten by members of a gang he approached with HIV messages. But the welcoming response of the workers encouraged him, and he has successfully helped people gain access to voluntary counseling and testing services.

"FGAC is one of the leading NGO service providers in the city," says FHI Acting Country Director Lina Al-Hadid. "FHI is pleased to have worked with FGAC to integrate SBC expertise into its existing social service programs and thus strengthen Jordanian families and communities."