Gender discrimination in Jordanian society oftentimes limits what girls and women can be, silences their voices, prevents them from accessing education, and limits their participation in public life. Rawan developed an initiative – My Mirror – targeting adolescent girls to raise their awareness of the health, rights, and future potential of themselves and young girls and women.

“Being a woman in our society is a challenge, but not for me – I am My Mirror and I can be the change I want to see!”

— Rawan Saad

The project was implemented in the Al Zarqa governorate where 37 adolescent girls (ages 14-15), including Syrian refugees, gained knowledge of reproductive health, early marriage, and civil rights. Rawan organized conversational sessions that broke the wall of silence surrounding these sensitive topics and also created a space for mentorship – including the recruitment of adult allies to mentor the adolescent girls and providing an opportunity for the adolescent girls to mentor younger peers.

Participants also learned entrepreneurial and financial skills and had the opportunity to create their own social entrepreneurial projects, all with the aim of building participants’ self-confidence and leadership roles in their communities.

Photos from Rawan’s Project

“Being part of the change is what I have always dreamed about. Changing young girls’ way of thinking, and making them feel that, yes, they are women and powerful, was an achievement. Young ladies in our community need empowerment and I will struggle to be a part of changing our ladies and the community’s way of thinking.”

— Rawan Saad

Rawan’s project was successful in both supporting adolescent girls to be optimistic and proactive about their futures, and in engaging the community through focus groups in continuing to support them. All of the participants of these trainings demonstrated greater self-confidence, self-esteem, and awareness of how to practice self-care and advocate for their own needs. Furthermore, the project has gained the support of community members involved in focus groups who discussed adolescent are interested in continuing projects like Rawan’s. In addition, the girls trained through the project are now equipped to act as young leaders in their community.