Mabrouk Initiatives (Jordan)

The “Mabrouk” (Congratulations ) Initiative was designed to provide essential family planning and spousal communication information to engaged and newlywed couples throughout Jordan. The Jordan Health Communication Partnership forged an innovative partnership with the Civil Status and Passports Department to reach these couples at key decision-making points.

When couples registered for their marriage license, they would receive a Mabrouk package. 75,000 Mabrouk Packages were distributed to this target group. Following the huge success of this initiative and continued requests by newlyweds for these Mabrouk Packages, another initiative was designed under the slogan “Mabrouk- You Became a Mom and Dad”. Another 75,000 packages were distributed to new parents at the issuance of the birth certificates of their firstborn. The package includes: 1. “Mabrouk” Booklet 2. Checklists 3. A Wedding Photograph Frame 4. The Mother and Child Centers’ Guide 5. Child Growth and Development Poster 6. A Child-height Measure.

Among Mabrouk I readers, 96% of women and 87% of men reported that they benefitted from the package; the most mentioned benefits included learning about the importance of family planning (71%), the importance of spousal communication (50%) and the importance of modern FP methods. Among Mabrouk II readers, the most mentioned benefits included attaining knowledge about the nutritional needs of a child (66%), knowledge about the stages of child development (63%), knowledge about children’s vaccination schedules (32%), learning the importance of modern FP methods (34%) and the importance of FP after the first child (31%).

Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: March 25, 2019