For this blog in our series focusing on the outcomes of small grants funded by Share-Net International, the Share-Net Jordan team met with Professor Dr. Zaid Al-Hamdan, a member of the 2017 small grant team on ‘Mother and Newborn Services in Jordan: Rapid Assessment of Health Facilities,’ to talk about the grant.

About the grantee

Professor Hamdan teaches at the Jordan University of Science and Technology for undergraduate and master’s degree students specializing in nursing and health management, health systems and policies, and others. Dr. Hamdan also conducts various researches and studies. When the team was granted the grant from Share-Net International in 2017, Professor Hamdan had just been promoted from associate to full professor.

About the project “Mother and Newborn Services in Jordan”

During the meeting, Professor Hamdan stated that the grant was obtained for the purpose of conducting a study on the role of the husband in taking care of his wife during pregnancy. A number of husbands were interviewed to get the information needed. Later, a pamphlet was prepared and given to wives during their first visit to the healthcare centers when registering the pregnancy so that they could talk about it with their husbands.

Access the full report of the project here.

Outcomes and impact

Professor Hamdan pointed out that there was a high level of acceptance of the outputs. This was evident through requests made by employees at centers to provide them with additional copies, and also from the incoming calls inquiring about how to go about some of the procedures.

Hamdan added that there are institutions still asking for copies of the leaflet and that some nurses are also educating pregnant women and their husbands about their role during pregnancy.

When asked to what extent the outcomes of the project had led to changes in sexual and reproductive health programs, policies, and practices, Hamdan responded that some ideas and concepts in men have changed, such as that the man can or needs to help the wife during pregnancy and childbirth, and that men can help a lot at this stage.

Small grants facility

Hamdan told that the small grant gave him the opportunity to interview staff, learn how they work, learn about what pregnant women go through during that period as well as giving him the opportunity to work and cooperate with colleagues. He also said that the grant added to his responsibilities, where he allocated two days a week to complete the paperwork and approvals, then communicate with health centers and conduct interviews, pointing out that experiences varied with some men and women as they explained the mechanisms to them starting from lack of acceptance at first to full cooperation and assisting the wife all throughout the pregnancy.

He added that the printing of the leaflet was a new experience and that it required many meetings with the team to select texts and illustrations that reflect the subject. It took six months for the work to be completed, but it was executed with enjoyment and harmony with the team.

Hamdan additionally pointed out that this small grant gave him insights into policies he had never known before, such as providing pregnant women with insurance. Prof. Hamdan therefore strongly advises and encourages other Share-Net members to apply for a small grant, for the ease of the process, the choice of areas and topics important for the community and the cooperation of Share-Net Jordan and Share-Net International.