Women from Azraq paint the ostrich eggs.

Who would have thought that painting designs on ostrich eggs could sustain a thriving small business for thirteen women in the isolated villages of Azraq – deep in the eastern desert of Jordan. But this is the reality of an innovative “jobs from nature” program being pioneered by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), under a USAID-funded Socio-Economic Development for Nature Conservation project.

The germ of the idea for decorated ostrich eggs came from a dilemma about what to do with the many infertile eggs produced by an ostrich flock in the Shaumari nature reserve, which is located near the Azraq villages. A designer was recruited to experiment with different techniques and styles and hit on the idea of “dotting”, where tiny, individual dots of paint are applied to the eggs’ surface to create an overall pattern. Since the end effect of “dotting” was reminiscent of mosaics, the first commercial designs produced were copies of ancient mosaics from Jordan and surrounding countries.

	Ostrich eggs with different designs -- the Tree of Life and Camel Caravan.

From this tentative beginning, the demand for the decorated eggs has far exceeded expectations. Over 1,300 eggs have been sold between 2001 and 2002, raising $70,000 in revenue and generating continuous work for thirteen women. The eggs are now displayed in RSCN’s ‘Wild Jordan’ Café and all of Amman’s five-star hotels, including a special display cabinet in the elevator of the Sheraton, which has generated a surprising number of orders from guests moving between floors. In addition, RSCN produced several orders for corporate gifts and a prestigious order from Her Majesty Queen Rania for 650 eggs for a fund-raising event in Paris. The most popular designs remain the ancient mosaics, and especially the ‘Tree of Life’ from the Umayyad Palace in Jericho, but Arabic calligraphy comes a close second, as it appeals to tourists wishing to take home a real symbol of the fascinating culture of the Middle East.

This embryonic ostrich egg business, however, is more that just a business. It is part of a unique socio-economic program that is helping the RSCN to create entrepreneurial partnerships with local communities living within and around Jordan’s spectacular nature reserves. These partnerships are creating nature-based economic opportunities for some of the poorest people in Jordan – and they are not only providing new jobs but are changing attitudes towards protecting nature. For the first time, disadvantaged rural communities, who have been struggling with a hand-to-mouth existence for years, are realizing that nature reserves do not just serve the interests of the “urban intellectuals” but can provide improved and sustainable livelihoods for them and their children.