The Queen Rania Family and Child Center (QRFCC) of the Jordan River

Foundation (JRF): A Case Study of Abuse Prevention through Social & Emotional Education

• By: Maya Chivi• Research question: How can prevention programs

overcome challenges to community involvement in areas where children and youth: 1) are victims of abuse and 2) live in environments in which such maltreatment is prevalent?

Making Equal Rights Real/Vers la pleine réalisation de l'égalité des droitsMay 1, 2010McGill University

Jordan• Population:

• 70% under age of 30; 60% under age of 24• Jordanians, Palestinians, Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, Circassians

• Almost half of Jordan’s children face abuse in their homes, schools, and communities*

• In 2009, 4 children died as a result of abuse; none of whom were over the age of 5*• Case study research was conducted in Jabal Al Nasr, located in Eastern Amman

*Reference: JRF (2004). Have your say: Child abuse. Retrieved March 2009, from http://www.jordanriver.jo/

Methodology• Data collected in June, July, and August 2009• Conducted 54 semi-structured interviews with

workshop trainers, program directors, and participants

• Observed child, youth, and adult programs• Collected field notes

*Girls with puppets their mothers created *Youth Summer Leadership Program volunteers at the QRFCC’s puppet-making workshop for women

Issues Faced by Jabal Al Nasr’s Children and Youth

In the Community: • Poor family communication• Poor marital relations• Neglect & all types of abuse at

home• Kidnappings• Road accidents• Child labour• Street children and youth• High rates of unemployment• Dependency on drugs, glue

sniffing, & alcohol• Lack of playgrounds

In Schools:• Bullying• Sexual harassment • Abuse between students &

between teachers & students• Use of beating sticks• Overpopulated classrooms

(over 40 children) • Two shifts of schools to

accommodate the number of students

• Schools are in very poor conditions

* Youth of Tomorrow Committee members in the playground they won funding to renovate in a national contest

Issues Faced by Jabal Al Nasr’s Girls

• Not allowed to participate in physical activities• Not allowed to leave the house unaccompanied• Honour killings as a result of sexual abuse• Early school dropouts• Early marriages

* Girls with puppets their mothers created at the QRFCC’s puppet-making workshop for women

The QRFCC & the Jabal Al Nasr Community

• Population of over 250,000 people• Approximately 100 schools• The QRFCC:• Established in 2005 to focus on child and youth

abuse prevention• Only non-religious community center• Funded by donors; Free to community members• Working to realize children and youth’s rights to:• Safety and security• Health• Care and nurture• Mental and body integrity• Protection from abuse

*Example of photo used during children and youth’s workshops to increase emotional intelligence

The QRFCC’s GrowthDar Al Aman

(“Safe House”) : Child and Youth

Abuse Intervention

2000

The QRFCC: Child and

Youth Abuse Prevention

2005

Children: Boys and

Girls

YouthYouth Volunteer

Leadership Program

Youth of Tomorrow Committee

Women: Training Center

Establishment of the Gym: For Women

and Girls

Fathers: Training Center

Community Leaders

Safe Schools Project

Directors

Students

Teachers

This growth chart represents JRF’s initial work in abuse intervention under the Child Safety Program to next begin to work on abuse prevention through the establishment of the QRFCC and it’s sub-units

The QRFCC’s Units• Local Community Center• Interactive Mediums Unit Workshops (Arts in child safety,

drama, IT lab, interactive library, and fit for life {for women and girls only})

• Children, Youth, Mothers• Youth Programs

• Training Center• Mothers, Fathers• Community Leaders

• Safe Schools Project

Children & Youth’s Social &

Emotional Development

The QRFCC: Coming Full Circle

This graph shows how the QRFCC’s work involves and engages all members of the community

The QRFCC: Impact in the Community

• The center’s strategy focuses on a slow growth into the community versus a shift in target group focus

• The center’s adopted model covers a full spectrum of social needs

• Affects individuals in two stages:• Causes changes in attitudes and behaviours which

then causes active responses• Reaches indirect beneficiaries by empowering those

around them (e.g.: women who cannot leave their homes).

* Youth of Tomorrow Committee members in the playground they won funding to renovate in a national contest

The QRFCC’s Challenges

• Seen as “foreign” by local community members• Cultural taboos and gender stereotyping continues

to discourage participation• Lack of program continuity with former participants• Changing municipality and government officials• Tension between a fast growth to meet the

community’s needs and a focus on slow community change

* The playground’s surrounding walls at the time the research was conducted

Lessons Learned

• The QRFCC’s successes are the result of:• Their flexibility and adaptability in response to the

community’s needs• Their targeting of the social population and

community issues versus focusing on individual problems

• Their adopted model covers a full spectrum of social needs

• Grew to cover additional target groups versus a shift in focus

*Youth Summer Leadership Program volunteers playing games aimed at team building and East and West youth integration

Discussion

• What will the QRFCC’s long term impact on the individual level be?

• What will the overall impact be in the community as a whole?

Target: social Impact: Individual Result: Community? *Youth Summer Leadership Program volunteers playing games aimed at team building and East and West youth integration

*A QRFCC staff member hanging paintings created after the death of two brothers as a result of child abuse (both were under the age of 5)

*Youth explaining their drawing on their imagined community with the researcher

Recent photos of the Youth of Tomorrow Committee’s renovations in the local park

Recent photos of the Youth of Tomorrow Committee’s renovations on the local park