Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Planning and International Cooperation Minister, Imad Fakhoury, Saturday, signed a cooperation agreement with the Jordan River Foundation and the Noor Al Hussein Foundation, under which the ministry will monitor progress on projects carried out by the two institutions within its Poverty Pockets Empowerment Program.

The follow-up process, Fakhoury said, comes after the ministry had completed implementing the third phase of the empowerment of poverty pockets in the concerned areas, which was carried out in cooperation with four national institutions that have vast experience at the level of developmental work for local communities.

He said the scheme, aimed at improving the economic and social living conditions of poor segments and raise productivity in the areas concerned, was carried out at a cost of JD25 million, earmarked according to specific and clear criteria, taking into account population numbers and poverty rates in 32 poverty-pocket areas countrywide.

"The follow-up in such type of national programmes is a key step to pursue the growth and development of the local communities within a participatory approach by all stakeholders", he explained.

Fakhoury said the development scheme's achievements will be followed up, top among these is the operation of no less than 2,300 productive and income-generating projects, that will provide up to 2,939 job opportunities or additional income to beneficiaries. In addition, at least 2,100 micro projects were carried out through 148 purses that were launched in cooperation with local entities and had helped to improve the income of about 2,000 poor or poverty-prone families.

The poverty pockets empowerment programme is a key part of the ministry's socio-economic productivity development schemes, which also includes support of charitable societies, cooperatives and military retirees associations as well as youth, entrepreneurship and other initiatives to increase the productivity of local communities.