Women entrepreneurs are leading the way in Jordan ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌







Handmade Christmas-themed decoupage plates. An autumnal wire tree sculpture. A rainbow-colored wind chime hung from a tea kettle.

These unique artisan creations are all available to purchase on Hamsa’s website.

Hamsa is an entrepreneur in Jordan. For the first 14 years of her career, she worked as an IT developer. After her first child was born, juggling her career and her family became more difficult.
Hamsa’s online shop gives small-scale artists a platform to sell their handmade products.
Women in Jordan make up just one-fifth of the country’s workforce. Social norms and limited support services, including child care, stifle women’s abilities to work. That means women have limited opportunities in the workforce or are forced to drop out of the workforce when they have children.

While Hamsa left her job to care for her family, she didn’t leave her ambition behind. She had an idea to launch an online boutique that sold locally-made goods, but she needed help. Through a Mercy Corps program that pairs new entrepreneurs with experienced mentors, she received the advice she needed to make her vision a reality.

Her business — Youniche Shop — is now launched and growing with two full-time employees. Check out our recent web article for another story about a woman changing her community by selling handicrafts ▸
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Women are a vital part of driving a more just and prosperous world. Mercy Corps provides resources to help them gain skills, build livelihoods and local economies, become leaders in their communities, and break down barriers for the next generation.

Mentorship is part of the equation, and so is access to technology: Mercy Corps also helps small businesses leverage technology to expand their growth and access new markets.
Hadeel is a role model for her community and her one-year-old daughter, Sami.
Hadeel is a veterinarian and a Palestinian refugee living at a camp in Jordan. She participated in a Mercy Corps program that provided access to an e-commerce platform, along with marketing and business training, that allowed her to expand her practice online. Today, she’s supporting her family and serving as a role model for what women can accomplish.

Learn about other women who are community-builders, activists, and agents of change in their communities.

This month is a reminder to celebrate all of the contributions women have made to business, society, and the world, and women like Hamsa and Hadeel who are leading the path forward to a more equitable future.

Happy Women’s History Month!

The Mercy Corps team