The AWSO™ program, part of the USAID-funded Jordan Health Communication Partnership (JHCP), inspires women’s empowerment through innovative community training sessions using role models. AWSO™ has reached over 60,0000 women and men across Jordan and eight additional Arab countries, and has also been successfully adapted in many African countries. AWSO™ encourages increased demand for women’s rights and the development of local initiatives that give women more choices.

This Communication Impact highlights the success of AWSO™. AWSO™ participants reported higher levels of knowledge relating to women’s empowerment as compared to controls and were also more likely than controls to specify the ideal spacing period between pregnancies to be at least three years. About 98% of AWSO™ participants reported that they benefited from participating, in the form of increased self-confidence (43%); improved relationships with their spouse (32%), their families (29%), and their communities (23%); and engaging in discussions about family planning with relatives (21%) as well as with friends and neighbors (23%).