Welcome to NetCorps Jordan - Digital Opportunity Trust 11 March 2008

Welcome to NetCorps Jordan
by Emily Marks — last modified 2008-03-11 13:57
Why Jordan is a Unique Opportunity
NetCorps Jordan (NCJ) is DOT’s pioneering community development program that combines the energy of youth and the potential of ICT to create real and sustainable impact that contributes to the economic development of the country and to the broader effort of poverty alleviation in Jordan.
NCJ, also known as 'Shabakat Al Ordon', was established in 2002 and formally launched in July 2003 by HM King Abdullah II. The program was piloted between 2002-2004, and focused on the theme of “ICT for Sustainable Livelihoods”.
In June 2005, DOT established NCJ as an independent non-profit company as part of the DOT global network, with the support of the USAID-funded AMIR Program and the Cisco System Foundation. A team of 9 staff members and 7 board members are currently in place to run the program.
NCJ’s success highly depends on its strong network of national, international, governmental, private sector and public sector partners who support the implementation of programs and projects at various levels.
NCJ’s current and pending projects fall under two main theme components:
“Promoting Entrepreneurship through ICT” Theme Component:
Support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Project
Community Tourism Development Project (Wadi Rum Information Technology Network Project for Community Tourism)
“ICT for Education” Theme Component:
Support to the Jordan Education Initiative (JEI) Project
Mother and Child Project
Impact
In its first two years of operation, during the pilot phase implemented through a partnership between DOT and the Queen Zein Al Sharaf Institue for Development (ZENID), 150 NCJ interns were trained and placed across the kingdom. In turn the Interns trained and impacted approximately 1800 community members from a range of backgrounds.
Since its inception as an independent organization in 2005, NCJ’s main program achievements are:
2 program themes designed and 4 projects implemented.
Approximately 100 Jordanian interns strengthened their technical, professional and soft skills, as well as gained practical work experience.
Interns impacted the lives of more than 3900 community beneficiaries in about 18 communities in 8 Governorates through the various projects.
Nearly half of the of the interns found good employment opportunities.
Approximately 90% of the participating mothers in the Mother and Child project learned basic computer skills for the first time
What’s Next
The Capacity Development of MSEs through ICT will expand on the success of the pilot project which implemented DOT and NCJ’s SME ICT training program in Zarqa. 27 interns and 3 Field Support will be recruited and trained to implement the project with 1,536 beneficiaries at MSEs in Zarqa, Irbid and Al-Balqa’ Governorates.240 IT-related projects will be incubated.
Expansion of the Mother and Child Project (MACP). The project will be expanded to 8 governorates (Madaba, Jerash, Ajloun, Mafraq, Aqaba, Ma'an, Tafileh, and Kerak) in cooperation with the Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and the Knowledge Stations (KS). 32 local interns and 8 field support will be recruited and trained to implement project activities in 18 locations with approximately 1,400 children (3-5 years), 300 mothers, and 45 KG teachers.
Positioning of NetCorps Jordan as a Regional Hub. In partnership with DOT, development of a Middle East outreach strategy and leveraging of NCJ’s expertise and experience to other Arabic-speaking countries