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USAID Jordan
Dishonesty in business may yield short-term gains, but it erodes trust and ultimately undermines long-term success. A lie has speed, but truth has endurance.
In April, we started on a promising initiative by reaching out to USAID’s Business Growth Activity for support, hoping to leverage their expertise and resources to propel our growth. Our team carefully prepared and submitted the necessary documentation, eager to partner with USAID in driving our strategic objectives forward. However, despite our efforts and the passage of several months, we have yet to receive the support we anticipated. This delay has left us in a challenging position, as we had hoped to be further along in our collaboration by now.
After attending numerous meetings where support seemed promised but never materialized, we were informed that we needed to register our organization in the U.S. (welcome to Wonderland) and obtain a unique organization code—requiring a stack of documents. This was only the beginning; an even larger pile of paperwork was needed to complete an application that demanded an exhaustive account of every aspect of our operations. After all that, we were advised to wait at least three months, only to end up feeling completely lost in the process.
One might assume that we requested unrealistic support or direct funding. However, our request was much more focused: we sought assistance to equip trainees with the skills needed to market and sell tourism products online effectively. Instead of centralizing resources, we proposed involving various tourism agencies across the industry. Our plan was to hire the top 4-5 performers upon completing the training. This approach is designed to enhance our online visibility and bolster the overall competitiveness of the tourism sector in Aqaba.
Phase: The Verdict
After months of anticipation and preparing to move forward, we finally received a response: “We regret to inform you that your application did not meet the technical requirements or priority for financial advisory support under our current batch.”
Our reply was straightforward: “Please clarify which technical requirements we failed to meet.”
USAID’s response: “Your organization has been inactive for the last three years.”
Wonders T&T: “THAT IS Precisely why we need your support.”
USAID: “You should be exporting.”
Wonders T&T: “Corona pandemic? Russian-Ukrainian conflict? Gaza .. ? If we had the ability, we wouldn’t be seeking your assistance.”
USAID: This is the way it is !
In the end, our journey with USAID didn’t yield the support we sought. Their approach, marked by a rigid adherence to their own protocols, left us feeling more like spectators than partners. While we recognize their influence and control over their processes, it became clear that their priorities didn’t align with our needs.
It has become evident that USAID’s actions seem to be more about creating an impression than delivering tangible results. Despite presenting well-structured plans that could genuinely benefit local communities, their lack of commitment becomes apparent when these initiatives fail to move beyond the discussion stage. The meetings they hold, while appearing productive on the surface, often serve more as a show for their superiors rather than a genuine effort to implement change.
Unfortunately, those who invest time, resources, and even money into these plans are often left disappointed, as promises made by USAID frequently fall through, leaving local stakeholders to bear the financial and emotional burden.