Category: IGL Research Trips

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Women’s Employment in Jordan: Systemic Barriers in the Cooperative Sector.

By: Miles Guerin

In Jordan, the majority of university students are women. Though despite educational attainment, Jordan has one of the lowest employment rates for women; not just in the region, but in the world. In my research, I hope to understand what systemic barriers exist for women in Jordan, and better understand the sorts of initiatives NGOs and the Jordanian government are undertaking to help reach gender parity in the labor force.

After interviewing academics and USAID representatives earlier in the week, today we were conducting our first interview with representatives from the Jordanian government. With the sun barely risen over the many hills of Amman, we made our way over to the central office of the Jordanian Cooperative Corporation— a governmental organization set up to oversee the formation, regulation, and development of all economic cooperatives in the country. There, we met with a representative who spoke to the country’s current strategies regarding the development of the sector, and existing barriers to female labor force participation. The representative mentioned that while Jordan’s agricultural sector receives aid from USAID and related programs, what is really needed for expansion of the sector is technology transfer from the US and other donor countries. Additionally, while Jordan has a relatively large public sector, limited growth in the private sector has put undue pressure on hiring in the public sector. As a result, fewer women are being selected to fill positions in the cooperative sector.

In the afternoon, we made our way to west Amman where we met with the head of UN Women in Jordan. In our conversation, he covered UN Women’s current initiatives for increasing Jordanian women’s economic empowerment, as well as initiatives for Syrian women living in Azraq and Zaatari. In speaking with UN Women, we found that the largest barriers to women attempting to engage in the labor force are the lack of reliable transportation, cultural norms, but also the lack of opportunities outside of the public sector. Given funding limitations, UN Women has sought to work with the Jordanian private sector to expand equity messaging to seek foreign investment from impact investors outside of Jordan.

After a morning full of interviews, a group of us made our way back to the neighborhood of Jabal Al-Weibdeh where we embarked on a tour of the city’s vibrant street art scene. In Amman, it’s hard to walk more than a couple feet without seeing a breathtaking mural, or a tag tucked away in one of Amman’s many alleys and sleepy side-streets. The street art scene not only envelopes Amman in a dazzling palette of color, but also serves as an expression of youth that envision a more progressive Amman. Of the 50 or so street artists that are most active in Amman, 35 are women. So, while many barriers still exist in the country, the youth are seeking to build an Amman, to build a Jordan, that is reflective of country’s true diversity.

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A Warm Welcome to Rabat

By: Sage Spalter

Morocco sits in a unique position with immense geographical significance at the intersection of several important regions. The country is a part of the greater Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, holds formal and informal positions within the continent of Africa, and sits in proximity to southern Europe leading foreign relations to be a center point of discussions and public policy in Morocco. For this reason, Grace, Paloma, and I chose to travel here to learn more about the ever-present topic of migration. Each of us with a focus on a different aspect of the subject came to speak with experts and professionals in migration to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of government and multilateral policies and their perceived outcomes on the experiences of migrants in the country.

With only a week to explore and learn in Morocco, we hit the ground running upon our arrival in Rabat. Our first conversation was with a specialist in migration health policy at the International Organization of Migration (IOM), an organization that is a part of the United Nations System as the leading inter-governmental organization on migration. We learned about the barriers to healthcare that migrants face and the ameliorations IOM supports. We came to better understand the role UN agencies play in this work—one that works to research, mobilize, and coordinate between governmental and non-governmental entities. This first conversation gave us a helpful landscape of the issues we sought to research and was a great beginning to our week of interviews.

On Saturday, we sat down with a journalist based in Rabat who reports on an array of issues but has significant experience reporting on the topic of migration. He recounted his stories of traveling across the country to document the tribulations of being a migrant at the borderlands living in liminality. Not only did he give us first-hand insight into stories he has heard echoed across migrant communities, but he described how he navigates being a journalist covering salient topics of human rights. Our engaging conversation left the three of us inspired by the many roles that exist within the field of migration.

Outside of our fact-finding, we have found time to explore the wonderful scenes and sites of Rabat. On Friday night, our dinner was a spread of delicious food both traditional to Morocco and to the fast-breaking evening meal of Ramadan, Iftar. As we strolled the streets on Saturday morning, we noticed how tranquil the city is and joyously basked in the warm weather that we heard was uncommon this early in the year. We saw the Hassan Tower in all of its glory and circled the Chellah, a medieval fortified Muslim necropolis and ancient archeological site.

As I look toward the days ahead, I look forward to hearing more perspectives on migration particularly as it relates to the gendered aspects of migration. In the coming days, we will meet with an official from an independent government institution, a couple of professors, a consultant on migration, and leaders of non-governmental organizations. I imagine we will hear more about the strife of Moroccan migrants and continue to be reminded of the interstitial and oftentimes treacherous situations that migration causes people. We keep in mind the many experiences of people who migrate that we will not hear and that, with very limited time in-country, we will only scratch the surface of one of the most pressing issues of human rights and public policy in our world today.

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Migration in Morocco Fact-Finding Trip: Final Days

By: Grace Spalding-Fecher

Sitting in the Rabat Salé airport at 3:30 am I blearily think back over our 6 packed days in Morocco. The days flew by filled with interviews, sightseeing, exploring new neighborhoods and eating incredible food. We all feel a sense of deep gratitude for the generosity and kindness that we were shown by everyone that we met during our time in the country.

I think back to Tuesday when we sat in the sociology department office at the faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines of Hassan II University listening to the sounds of traffic, construction, and students hanging out in the sunny courtyard outside. Youness Benmouro, a professor of sociology, explains the concept of liminality in migration studies, which describes the phase of ambiguity when migrants enter into a new country, in this case Morocco, and are faced with new norms and laws that strip of them of their defining characteristics. Their identity becomes defined solely by being a migrant, with an association with criminality if they entered illegally. His work is particularly pertinent to my topic of sub-Saharan migration into Morocco and the way that the migration question is present in Morocco’s relationship with other African countries as his research attempts to identify mobility along the Sahelo-Saharan routes and migratory immobility during the stage of waiting in Morocco for migrants in irregular situations.

This conversation is particularly interesting after our discussion with ASTICUDE, an organization based in Nador that works to achieve inclusive, egalitarian and equitable access to political, economic and cultural decision-making, by contributing to producing a local elite capable of raising the challenges of development . Given the location of Nador 10km away from Melilla, one of the two Spanish enclaves in Morocco, many migrants who hope to reach Europe take shelter in the forest between the city and the border before attempting to cross. The organization works with migrants who are in this waiting phase before they attempt to cross the border into Melilla or after an unsuccessful attempt when they have to decide what to do next.

After a total of 10 interviews we are leaving with a wealth of new knowledge and connections. From experts on land and women rights to climate migration and census planning they exposed us to topics that we have studied in the classroom as well as ones that were completely new to us. We are so grateful for the continued support of the IGL and Tisch College, as well as all of our contacts for their support in making this trip a reality!

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Day 2 of Interviews in Amman, Jordan

By Sofia Ladak

Today is our second full day in Jordan, which means that we are finally slipping into the rhythm of the city of Amman. We have all felt incredibly well received in this country, and are very much enjoying our time here.
Leo and I started off our day with the most incredible interview! We met with an NGO called Questscope which was founded out of the UK, and has a branch in Amman with an almost fully Jordanian team.

Leo started off the conversation focusing less on Questscope and more on trying to get a sense of the Palestinian identity in Jordan, as it just so happened to be that both women we spoke to were of Palestinian decent. It was extremely interesting, even for me whose research focus is quite different, to hear them speak about how much they feel they and their families have been able to integrate into Jordanian society, starkly contrasting some of the conversations Leo had had the day before.

Afterwards, we shifted over to speak about Questscope and their mission, which is to provide education, namely non-formal education, to more vulnerable populations around Jordan, including drop out and refugee children. One of the large takeaways I’ve been having from every interview is that there is very much a need to focus on the question of “what happens next?”. Jordan unfortunately has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world, and many organizations seem to feel that closing that gap has to be done through the private sector. Additionally, I’ve been finding it very interesting that most organizations work very closely with the Ministry of Education.

One aspect of the interview that really resonated with me was when I complemented them on the work that they’ve been doing. I was met with the response “but we are not happy” because they find it to be a sometimes frustrating and slow process. While they realize they are making a difference, it just takes more time than they would hope, which can often be the case with such NGO’s.

Moving forward in my day, I then went to my second interview at the Queen Rania Teacher Foundation. In all honesty, this was a less positive experience as they were not as welcoming or informative. It was interesting to see the contrast of different types of NGO’s, even considering their location as this took place about 30 minutes away from the city center in a large “Business Park” of many offices. Nonetheless, I was able to understanding how much they also work with the Ministry of Education; none of these organizations seem to operate independently. While I am aware that unless you align with the Ministry’s goals, there might be little you can do, I did not grasp from my research how much of a symbiosis relationship they really have.

As a result, my next goal is to be able to speak to the Ministry of Education, as they are much harder to reach than other organizations, especially for an in-person appointment. Inshallah it happens!

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Contradictions: Competition and Care in Jordanian Pigeon Keeping

By: Carolina Hidalgo-McCabe

When I tell people what I’m researching here in Jordan there’s always some element of shock. In the US, people wondered how pigeons could be so important to fly halfway across the world to research. In Jordan, people often react with shock that an American is here to learn more about كش الحمام (pigeon keeping and breeding). Amongst the men I met today from the Gaza Jerash refugee camp and Zarqa, two cities about an hour from Amman, pigeon keeping is full of beauty and tension.

This morning, I met Omar, a driver who took Sofia and I around today, visiting family and friends who shared with us their love of pigeon keeping. كش الحمام is an ancient tradition that is practiced in many parts of the Middle East, including Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. Today, many men across Jordan, old and young, partake in the practice, contending with tradition and modernity. For some, especially those who don’t partake in it, كش الحمام is haram or forbidden in Islam. For others, it’s a hobby that brings community together, across rooftops.

We began by visiting Ali and Mohammed, young men who learned to take care of pigeons from their fathers. A friend of Omar, who joined us, shared that he considers it easier to give love to your pigeons than your children and that often, himself included, men love their pigeons more than their children. This is central to the storytelling I’m doing, where I’m focusing on the intersection of competition and care in masculinity. Pigeons are fragile and beautiful birds. They require significant care, and many men are willing to put the time and energy into this care, which happens on the leftover space of the domestic sphere: rooftops.

We watched Ali’s pigeons fly in circles above us as Omar’s friend shows me a pigeon auction happening on Facebook. Modernity and tradition. Pigeon keeping is changing because of social media, especially Facebook. This is allowing pigeon breeders and keepers to share their pigeons with the world. He says pigeons are like an addiction. It’s in his blood.

After descending the rooftop, we wind through the mountains of Zarqa to the Sooq Al Hammam, pigeon market, and converse with shop owners who share with us the peace that they feel when they watch their pigeons fly around them. It helps them relax after a long day. They look forward to going home, sitting on their rooftops with their friends, smoking argileh, and sipping on tea as their pigeons circle them.

Between pigeon visits we took a mansaf break (the national dish of Jordan) which we ate with our hands and spoons. Omar, his son, and friend continuously poured jameed over our parts of the communal dish and served us more and more lamb until it was impossible to keep eating. The hospitality is indescribable.

Stomachs full, we made our way to the Gaza camp in Jerash, where historically refugees from Gaza built new homes. It’s starkly different from Amman, with buildings made from materials that should have been temporary but have become permanent. Sheikh Mousa brings us up to his rooftop where he doesn’t fly his pigeons, and strictly breeds them. There are hundreds of pigeons of all types. To him, flying pigeons in a competitive way through كشالحمام is haram. As we sip sage tea and Arabic coffee, he shares with us the details of his job, selling and breeding pigeons. His dream is to have people from all over the world come buy his pigeons.

Over the course of the day, it was clear that there’s no one story when it comes to pigeon keeping in Jordan. It’s full of contradictions, not only in the way masculinity is performed on the rooftops, but also in how those who partake in the pastime perceive their own tradition. What’s clear, is that pigeon breeding and keeping is shaping the relations between and social perceptions of many men in Jordan today, and I’m so grateful for the many Jordanians who shared their homes, rooftops, and stories with me today.

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A Day of Careem Rides, Migration Conversations, and Mint Tea

By: Paloma Delgado

Today was another lovely but busy day as we explored the city of Rabat before making our way to Casablanca in the evening. We started our morning off by heading over to a part of the city we had yet to visit, Souissi. The Soussi neighborhood exemplified the tranquil, administrative image of Rabat, a gated community filled with government buildings, embassies and educational institutions. We made our way over early in the morning in a Careem ride – the equivalent of Uber – for our meeting at the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Upon our arrival, we were immediately struck by a line of individuals standing outside the gate of the building — women holding small children, groups of young men sitting on the side of the curb, families chatting amongst themselves. As we entered the gates of the organization, an official escorting us informed us that the people standing outside the gates were migrants seeking access to IOM’s voluntary return and reintegration services. In other words, humanitarian, administrative, logistical, and financial support for migrants who decide to return to their countries of origin. We were led to an outdoor courtyard where we met with a national project officer for the IOM. They explained to us their own role at the organization, the services offered to regular and irregular migrants seeking assistance in Morocco, and the initiatives IOM is spearheading in other cities in Morocco, such as Tangier and Casablanca. As a migration specialist, they explained their fieldwork in Oujda, a city in the northeast of Morocco near the Algerian border, where they worked on the ground to provide aid to migrants crossing the border from Algeria into Morocco. They now work more in the policy and data side of migration in Rabat, supporting efforts to include migration identifiers on the Census for 2024.

Later in the afternoon, we made our way back to the Quartier de L’Ocean to meet with two officials from Association Lumière sur l’Émigration Clandestine au Maghreb (Light on Irregular Migration in the Maghreb Association, or ALECMA). We found ourselves wandering multiple streets and alleys before coming across someone waving us down on a street corner. We made our way through multiple doors and staircases before arriving at multiple offices situated on a roof-like terrace. Both officials from ALECMA explained the focus of the grassroots organization, which advocates for the needs of sub-Saharan African migrants in Morocco. It was fascinating to hear about their work, specifically in relation to combating the racism that sub-Saharan Africans face along their journey to Morocco as well as upon their arrival and integration in Moroccan society. As immigrants from other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, both officials were highly attuned to the obstacles that migrants arriving from this region confront as well as transparent about the shortcomings of international organizations in Rabat that purport to provide their services in an equal and effective manner.

Our last meeting of the day was in the Hassan neighborhood with a migration consultant we had contacted several months earlier. We were welcomed into their home and enjoyed mint tea and cookies in their backyard, alongside their fluffy black cat who basked in the sun. They explained their work advising different organizations and international agencies on migration and gender phenomena, and delved into their more recent work at the crossroads of climate-change and migration. As a national of France, it was interesting to hear about their time working within their home country before becoming specialized in the Maghreb region.

We immediately made our way back to the hotel to grab our bags before heading to the train station. It only took us a little over an hour before we arrived at the city center of Casablanca. Quickly dropping off our bags at the Airbnb, we walked to the Old Medina for a late dinner at La Sqala – enjoying some much needed tajine after a day full of activity.