WASHINGTON, D.C. – Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Dana J. Hyde will travel to Jordan this week to inaugurate one of the largest and most modern wastewater treatment plants in the Middle East and see the progress of MCC’s five-year, $275 million compact. MCC’s partnership with Jordan is in its fourth year and will officially end in December 2016.
Jordan is one of the driest countries in the world, and it has responded generously to the Syrian crisis, providing a safe haven to many of the region's refugees. Together with the Government of Jordan, MCC is working to conserve the country’s critical water supply and improve the quality of water for the people of Jordan – for families, businesses and agricultural producers.
MCC’s compact is designed to increase the supply of water through improvements in water delivery, wastewater collection and wastewater treatment. Once completed, the compact is expected to benefit approximately 3 million people.
On Monday, Oct. 19, Hyde will inaugurate the As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion project in the city of Zarqa alongside Jordan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour. The plant is the first MCC-supported public-private partnership project and serves as a model for how the agency plans to work with the private sector to accelerate economic growth in its partner countries. Through the MCC compact, the plant – which handles approximately 70 percent of Jordan’s wastewater – has dramatically increased its capacity to process solid waste and produce clean water for irrigation.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Hyde will talk with Jordanian women who received training to become plumbers as part of the MCC compact and are helping to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation. The compact’s Water Smart Homes Activity encourages Jordanians to save more water in their homes and helps poor families with repairs to their plumbing systems.
She will also visit construction sites where water and wastewater piping are being replaced. The compact includes the construction and rehabilitation of more than 1,000 kilometers of water and wastewater network pipes, and repairs and installation of water connections in approximately 4,500 homes.
MCC’s compact with Jordan, launched in December 2011, is an example of the strong U.S. partnership with and commitment to the people of Jordan, a key ally in an important region of the world.
Learn more about MCC’s compact with Jordan.
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The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an innovative and independent U.S. agency that is working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created by the U.S. Congress in January 2004, with strong bipartisan support, MCC provides time-limited grants and assistance to countries that demonstrate a commitment to good governance, investments in people and economic freedom. Follow MCC on Twitter and Facebook.