VZCZCXYZ0017
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #0358/01 0361324
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051324Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4403
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0702

UNCLAS AMMAN 000358 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM/ANE, GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREF EAID UNHCR IZ JO
SUBJECT:  International Relief and Development Monitoring 
and Evaluation Q COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT SPRMCO08CA156 
 
¶1.  Summary: The following is the first quarter monitoring 
and evaluation assessment of cooperative agreement 
SPRMCO08CA156 for USD 1,899,817 million awarded to 
International Relief and Development (IRD) in Jordan to 
support its program for livelihoods training for Iraqi 
refugees.  RefCoord and Program Assistant met with Nick 
Stevens, IRD Country Director; Shamil Kalyayev, program 
manager for Community Based Support Program for Iraqi 
refugees in Jordan, and Uma Kandalayeva, program manager for 
Strategic Health Support Program for Iraqis in Jordan.  IRD 
fulfilled the requirements of the agreement and made 
adequate progress on all targets.  Livelihoods' training was 
effective, but Iraqis did not have access to the legal job 
market in Jordan.  End Summary. 
 
Overview 
-------- 
 
¶2. In the first quarter, the late arrival of funding and 
consequent delay in paying partners slowed the start of IRD 
programming.  The initial figures in IRD's first quarter 
report are only a measure of operations for December 2008. 
The pace of programming should pick up in the coming months. 
IRD worked with local community centers to teach Iraqis 
marketable skills using job-market information gathered by 
IRD in Iraq.  IRD-Jordan designed a program that makes 
extensive use of paid Iraqi volunteers, while respecting the 
host-country limitations on employment for Iraqis.   IRD 
took measures to ensure that the beneficiaries of this 
program were Iraqis. 
 
¶3.  IRD has extensive reach into the Iraqi community.  Using 
volunteers, IRD visited Iraqi families to determine their 
economic conditions and needs.  In the course of this 
informal study, IRD found that the numbers of Iraqis in 
Irbid and East Amman appeared to be lower than had been the 
case in 2007-2008.  Country Director Nick Stevens said he 
thought some Iraqis left Jordan for resettlement, while 
others left for Syria or Lebanon.  Stevens admitted that the 
population was difficult to track.  However, IRD was 
confident that there were fewer vulnerable Iraqis in Jordan 
in December 2008 than there had been in the same month in 
¶2007. 
 
¶4.  Objective a. Enroll Iraqi men in vocational training. 
Results:   IRD and partners enrolled the first group of 
Iraqi men in vocational training classes.  Two options for 
training were available: nine months, and three months. 
Most participants opted for a three-month training course, 
indicated that they were eager to seek job opportunities 
after training.  IRD made sufficient progress on this 
objective and will probably meet target numbers. 
 
¶5.  Objective b. Enroll Iraqi women in home production 
training.  Results: IRD made progress toward its targets 
this quarter.  Training course began late due to funding and 
administrative reasons.  IRD expects to meet the objective 
target.  Training materials were well prepared and training 
records were well maintained. 
 
¶6.  Objective c. Conduct food marketing training.  This 
objective addressed the same beneficiaries as objective b. 
The marketing training was part of a program to provide 
self-employment for Iraqi women in the food sector.  The 
women were trained in marketing techniques for the foods 
produced under objective b.  The project was still in the 
early stages, and it was not possible to measure the success 
of the training. 
 
¶7. Objective d:  Establish catering market networks.  This 
objective addressed the same beneficiaries as objectives b 
and c.  Results:  This portion of the project will begin 
after the completion of training in marketing and food 
production.  IRD expects there to be a lag between the time 
catering operations open and the first catering income. 
Effective monitoring will be possible in the third quarter 
of the project. 
 
¶8.  Objective e: Enroll Iraqi children in 15 partner 
community-based organization day care centers.  Results: 
IRD found that the number of families demanding day care 
services was lower than anticipated in the agreement.  Using 
IRD trained volunteers, IRD visited Iraqi families in Amman 
and suburbs to "recruit" children for the daycare centers. 
After significant outreach efforts, IRD registered 80 Iraqi 
children in daycare centers in the Amman suburb of Zarqa. 
 
¶9.  Objective f: Train 100 Iraqi mothers in daycare 
techniques for employment in daycare centers identified in 
Objective e.  Results: IRD trained 15 mothers and employed 
 
them in the Zarqa daycare center.  Training records were 
available.  The trained daycare workers were employed in 
December 2008.  Evaluation of the effectiveness of training 
will be possible in the second quarter of the program. 
 
¶10.  Objective g:  Conduct better parenting training with 
family kits.  Results: This objective addressed the same 
beneficiaries as objective f.  IRD trained 15 Iraqi mothers 
in basic child rearing strategies.  These mothers were 
employed in Zarqa as daycare center workers under objective 
f.  IRD views the parenting training as a capacity building 
measure for the individual families involved as well as a 
marketable skill for women involved in commercial child 
care. 
 
Core Questions 
-------------- 
 
¶11.  PRM Goals: IRD's livelihoods program built the capacity 
of Iraqis at all levels of the socio-economic scale.  The 
training potentially teaches Iraqis skills that would be 
useful upon their return to Iraq.  IRD works in Iraq and had 
good information on the skills needed in the IraqQs 
developing economy.  Skills training helped Iraqis retain 
dignity and identity within their communities, contributing 
to their psychosocial well-being.  Training Iraqi women in 
commercial marketing as well as parenting strengthened the 
position of women in the Iraqi community. 
 
¶12.  Complementarity: IRD collaborates with UNHCR, UNICEF 
and implementing partners.  In regular health and 
psychosocial coordination meetings IRD exchanged information 
with NGOs active in the health and psychosocial fields.  IRD 
worked as an active partner to local NGOs and the Jordanian 
Ministry of Health to ensure that IRD curriculum complies 
with national standards. 
 
¶13.  Program objectives: IRD education objectives appeared 
to be appropriate to the needs of the beneficiaries. 
Initial interest in training was high among Iraqis. 
Technical training objectives were complicated by GOJ 
policies which do not give Iraqis access to the legal job 
market. 
 
¶14.  Operational efficiency, management, and communication: 
IRD records were well maintained and its staff clearly 
knowledgeable and motivated. IRD was in frequent contact 
with RefCoord and with PRM.  The information IRD collected 
helped inform PRM decisions on other programs in Jordan. 
 
Control and Monitoring 
---------------------- 
 
¶15.  IRD office in Amman monitored the operations of its 
staff and partners.  At the time of the evaluation, high- 
cost equipment, drugs, and medical supplies were properly 
controlled.  IRD staff was familiar with PRM reporting 
requirements and kept data on refugee movements, and needs. 
IRD gave UNHCR feedback on operations through weekly 
coordination meetings. 
 
¶16.  IRD Amman communicated regularly with PRM office in 
Amman.  The program office was responsive and provides 
regular updates. 
 
Security and Protection 
----------------------- 
 
¶17.  Amman is a high threat post.  However, there were no 
security concerns for IRD staff during the quarter. 
 
Future Funding 
-------------- 
 
¶18.  RefCoord supports continued funding for IRD livelihoods 
programs. 
 
Visit AmmanQs Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
BEECROFT