Challenge

The Baqa’a refugee camp, located 20 minutes north of the capital Amman in Jordan, is the largest refu¬gee camp in the country. It is home to 120,000 refugees and is considered to be one of six "emergency" camps set up in 1968 to accommodate Palestine refugees and displaced persons who left the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Arab ¬Israeli war. As the number of displaced persons and refugees increased over the years, the need to support the camp’s growing population has become more urgent. The camp’s capacity has grown into a community that aims to improve the quality of life for its residents through various initiatives that develop skills and trades while generating a source of in¬come to support the families of the residents. One such initiative is a bakery with outdated and faulty equipment which ultimately led to lower production levels, reduced quality of products and inefficiency in the bakery and jeopardized the important source of income for the workers.

Initiative

The bakery was established in 1996 and by 2007 the equipment had exceeded its life expectancy and the bakery wasn’t in the position to fund the purchase of new equipment so they came to USAID. Through a grant, USAID funded the purchase of an industrial sized oven and mixer to inject new life into the bakery, which in turn supplies the camp residents with baked goods. The bakery employs 12 young women ranging in age from 25 to 35; these women are the main income providers for their respective families (of up to 10 members).

Results

	Lina’s hard work and commitment not only devel¬oped her personality and self¬-esteem, but also affected the living standard of her family

As a result of the purchase of updated and more efficient equipment, the productivity level of the bakery has increased considerably and the young women have learned additional skills in the art of baked goods and remain integrated in the neighborhood economy. The bakery has been able to ex¬pand its product line from simply bread loaves and select pasties, to now include desserts and special orders. In addi¬tion to serving the residents of the camp, the bakery now has agreements with several private and public schools in and around the capital of Amman to supply their students with baked goods in their cafeterias. The salaries of the young women were previously set at 90JD/month each, and have now been raised to 135JD/month each, which has improved the standard and quality of living for them and their families. At the end, young women are empowered and learn that it is important and acceptable for them to take their place in Jor¬dan’s economy. The impact of the bakery’s success went beyond the production of high quality goods and is affecting the lives of the young women and their families. Lina Rahhal, through her increased income, is assisting her sister to study history and her brother to study special education at Al Balqa University. In addition, she managed to upgrade the quality of living of her family through contributing to the purchase of a refrigerator, furniture and other household appliances. Newly wed Dalal Wraikat, also witnessed a dramatic change in her life, as she was able to support her previous unemployed husband in establishing a small mini market in the refugee camp. The new family’s income has considerably increased as well as their living standard.