A local community NGO established in 1994 by 80 local members to organise the community and benefit from the sustainable development opportunities in and around Dana village. The preservation of Dana village, community development and the empowerment of local women and young people are the basis of the work. MAIN PROJECTS: PRESERVATION & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT i.e. restoration of Dana village; de
veloping community owned sustainable tourism in the Dana Nature Reserve; operating the Wadi Dana Lodge, Dana Hotel and Wadi Dana Eco-camp; training local guides; involving local farmers and shepherds in tourism. MAIN PROJECTS: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT - includes funding school fees for some children; encouraging and assisting young people to study at university; providing vocational training; employing young people in the work of the Cooperative; seeking out grants and donations for those most in need within the local community and coordinating the distribution of food, clothing, household and office items etc. There is a WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME that includes awareness sessions about reproductive health; social, economic and political rights; training courses on soft skills, preparation for the labour market, starting income generating projects, quality assurance and marketing; workshops on the development of handicrafts; supporting local handicraft initiatives. There is a YOUTH PROGRAMME that includes national and international exchange visits, seminars, voluntary services, training courses, and participation in festivals and exhibitions. ONGOING ACTIVITIES include supporting and promoting local handicraft initiatives; attending and presenting at international conferences and events; hosting and participating in international youth exchange programmes; hosting onsite and virtual international research placements for university students; offering voluntary placements for local, Jordanian and international volunteers. NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES (not mentioned above) include launching a national engagement strategy (NES) for people centred land governance in Jordan in late 2017 with the support of the International Land Coalition (ILC); convening and hosting a 2-day meeting for the Arab States (ILC); working in partnership with the Arab World Centre for Democratic Development on the 12-month project “Working Together for More Powerful Communities”. (This project ran in 3 of Jordan’s 12 governorates and, as well as supporting participation, the Dana Cooperative co-facilitated focus groups within the project); hosting a Romanian eco-team of young people volunteering in Qadisiyah village; supporting a group of artists from the Royal Academy of Art in London and coordinating a joint exhibition of work (London based artists and local artists) in Dana Hotel, and a joint workshop for the children of Dana school; participating in television documentaries about eco-tourism.
