Two days ago I finally volunteered for the first time while in Jordan as my friend and I helped an NGO set up for a crafts fair that they were holding the next day. Most of the work we did consisted of heavy lifting; however, this journal entry is not about my volunteering, rather it is about the development campaign in Jordan.
Sponsored by the NGO that is funded by the office of Princess Basma, the crafts fair that was held the following day was set up as a way for various artisans from all across Jordan to sell goods ranging from ceramics to olive oil. The fair seemed very much akin to the mindset and purpose of the 10,000 Villages chain of shops that is spread throughout various cities in the United States.
Jordan Fair Trade signs were spread all throughout the store. I was very impressive by both the quality of the goods being sold and the amount of people that attended. Additionally, Princess Basma also attended; however, this did not help my enjoyment of the fair as her arrival caused it to become quite crowded and chaotic. With this having gone on for about 20 minutes or so, the rest of my experience was quite a positive one (I even bought a few things!).
One aspect I liked about this event too was that it also allowed me to interact a bit with the development community here in Jordan. Much money is being pumped into this country by US AID; however, it does not seem to be creating a great bang for all the bucks being sent here. There is a lot of development on the surface, but once you examine things a little further you find not much progress is being made.
For starters, the economic structure of the country, based firmly on patronage and connections, has not changed that much. In addition, the dynamism needed if Jordan’s economy is really going to develop and take off is simply not there; however the country seems to be in a state of denial, a fact best evinced by the government’s belief that Jordan will become the IT hub of the Middle East. Possessing a well educated population, Jordan would appear on the surface to have the capability to prove this belief true; however, the IT industry requires ingenuity and dynamism. India certainly has, but from my experience, Jordan does not. Due to these facts, the great amounts of development assistance the country receives will create only marginal improvements.
