Past Projects on Supporting Women

1. Kuwait Economic Society: "Women’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship" - Kuwait-based CSO the Kuwait Economic Society (KES) implemented a women’s empowerment project to create a more enabling trade, investment and business environment for women and increase private sector capacity by promoting and supporting women entrepreneurs through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Project, an already-established KES program. The program supported women engaged in small and medium sized businesses and home based businesses by providing opportunities for business growth, training, business networking and experience sharing. (Success Story 1 and Success Story 2)
2. The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) : “Raise Omani women’s awareness of environmental issues” - The project raised Omani women’s awareness of environmental issues and empower them to identify local environmental problems in their respective regions of Oman and engage in environmental civic activism. In support of this goal, the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), a Muscat-based NGO provided training and opportunities for women to meet and discuss environmental issues. Additionally, the project promoted Omani women’s participation in the decision making process and set a precedent of the public interacting with their elected officials where the women conveyed their recommendations on environmental issues to the elected members of the Omani Shura Council. This MEPI-funded project also provided opportunities for the first target group of Omani women to train women’s groups in neighboring regions to ensure the project’s sustainability. The project was achieved through a partnership with the Oman Women’s Association (OWA).
3. SEEB Women Association: “Strengthening Legal Awareness in Oman”  - Public awareness is critical to accountable governance and dynamic societies.  Due to the lack of awareness on legal issues among women in the Sultanate, Seeb Women’s Association (SWA) organized activities to provide necessary legal knowledge to Omani women working in the public and private sectors, as well as promote awareness of empowering women within the society. This project, Strengthening Legal Awareness in Oman, buildt on previous SWA activities by reaching a wider audience and educating women on their legal rights. In addition to raising public awareness of women’s legal rights in Oman, the project increased the depth of advocacy skills and techniques for 50 Omani women activists.
4. SOUL: "Democracy through Women's Empowerment" -SOUL Yemen, a Sanaa-based NGO working in the area of Women Development, proposes a MEPI project designed to enhance the empowerment of individual women and promote democratic theory and values through the offering of adult education and skills development courses in al-Sinateen Center located in Amran, one of the most deprived rural districts in Yemen. The direct beneficiaries of this project will be more than 150 female participants from the community, as well as approximately 1,000 women and men who are benefiting from the educational awareness raising and advocacy components of the project. The indirect beneficiaries of this project are all the women (approximately 4,000) from the target area and the surrounding vicinity, together with the entire community which the Center serves.  The solidarity and empowerment of this community will lend to the development of its whole, creating a platform for the foundation of democratic and egalitarian values and activities.
5. "Writing Workshop for Women" - This program offered a rare opportunity for Saudi women writers to receive training and advice from an international expert. Following a training workshop on effective writing techniques, participant writers drafted and submitted three articles applying lessons learned in the workshop.
6. "Leadership Program for Saudi Women" - This program will develop an under-utilized asset in the Saudi economy - educated young women - by providing them training on how to build leadership skills, demonstrate confidence, advocate for self, and overcome stereotypes. 
7. Smart Coaching and Research Center (SCRC): "Developing Political Leadership of Bahraini Women" - SCRC implemented a political leadership project to address the historic under-representation of women in politics, public service, and other leadership roles in Bahrain. The project's ultimate objective was to inspire, educate, and prepare 20 Bahraini women to be active players in political life and make them capable of participating in elections, reform initiatives, and democratic practices. (Success Story)
8. Mayasem Communications: “Empowering Women Candidates for the 2010 Bahraini Parliamentary Elections” - Despite a number of female candidates having run in the 2002 and 2006 Bahraini parliamentary elections, only one managed to win a seat in the elected lower house. According to Mayasem Communications, one of the reasons for this is that women candidates in Bahrain generally lacked the necessary expertise and experience in strategic planning, when it came to running for office and in organizing professional electoral campaigns. This MEPI-funded local grant project addressed effective electoral campaign models for Bahrain to equip potential female candidates with the tools needed in preparing themselves for the 2010 elections. Fifty representatives of civil, political and women’s organizations attended a two-day workshop by an international expert to develop an action plan and best practices for promoting women’s participation. This was followed by a 3-day political campaign training workshop for 50 women that concluded with written operational guidelines and communications strategic action plans in preparation for the upcoming elections.
9. The Northern Badia Forum for Culture and Development: “Turning Civic Education into Civic Activism: Northern Badia Women Engage Local Government” - The Northern Badia Forum for Culture and Development will strengthen the ability of 90 Jordanian women in the Badia region to participate in political life as well-informed, civic-minded constituents who seek action from their Local Council representatives on issues of local importance and hold them accountable for their response.   The project will targeted training on civic and political rights for leading members of 6 women’s associations, and the formation of a committee (drawn from those trainees) that will identify issues of concern to their local communities; facilitate public interest and input; lobby Municipal Councils to address identified concerns;  and monitor the response of their respective Local Council representatives. (Success story)
10. Human Forum for Women’s Rights: “United for Legal Equality: Women’s NGOs Advocate for Reform of Discriminatory Laws” -Gender discrimination in legislation is one of the biggest challenges facing Jordanian women’s political, economic and social empowerment. Many local women’s NGOs are only distantly aware of discriminatory laws and have not integrated this area into their advocacy work.  Through this project, the Human Forum for Women’s Rights (HFWR) will organize and lead implementation of a two-pronged strategy to reform discriminatory provisions that still exist within Jordanian law, such as the penal code, the social security law, the personal status law, and the retirement law.  First, representatives from 20 selected groups drawn from NGO members of the General Federation of Jordanian Women (GFJW) will be trained on contradictions between discriminatory Jordanian laws and Jordan’s international treaty obligations, and will formulate recommended reforms.  Second, a coalition of women’s groups will advocate for legislative and policy changes, and will seek broad public support for the recommended reforms to be implemented by Parliament and Ministries.
11. Family Guidance and Awareness Center: “Understanding and Exercising Political Rights: Pre-election Outreach to the Women of Zarqa” - A new election provides a new opportunity for change.  As Jordan prepared for its parliamentary election, efforts were made to narrow the “impact gap” that existed between the impact the election had on poor women and their more affluent, better educated counterparts.  This project helped ensure that the election had a significant and positive impact on the democratic knowledge, perspectives, and participation of women in the poor region of Zarqa. Poor women are the group in Jordan whose political participation is most constrained by cultural restrictions. Through this project, the Zarqa Family Guidance Center (FGC) delivered democracy and civic education workshops for women community leaders in Zarqa, and trained them to conduct a door-to-door get-out-the-vote outreach campaign targeting the potential women voters of their communities.   The project commenced with a Jordan-based, international expert who conducted a train-the-trainers session for staff of the FGC.  The trained FGC trainers then trained members of FGC-affiliate women centers in the eight municipalities of Zarqa.  Each of those women in turn undertook a door-to-door GOTV effort in their respective communities, using a basic informative leaflet prepared by the FGC. (Success story)
12. Community Development Center:  "Mother's Advocates: A Women's Empowerment Project" - The project goal was to create a framework where mothers will learn how to advocate for their children, enabling them to advocate for themselves and help others to do the same. This project worked in conjunction with mothers to provide information and develop the skills necessary in order to negotiate effectively with school administrations and other educational institutions.
13.  "Political Education Brochure for Kuwaiti Women" - This grant supported the production of a political education brochure for Kuwaiti women. The goal was to increase women's participation in the political process, thereby strengthening the democratic reform process.
14. "Survey of Kuwaiti Women" - The project goal was to identify the views of Kuwaiti citizens on women's participation in public life. The project undertook in-depth, quantitative surveying to gauge the support for women's full exercise of their political rights. The results were used to identify issues of concern, assist women running for office in building platforms and advise the candidates of the public expectations for their performance as leaders.
15. The Women’s Network: “Make Your Right to Vote Count” - The Women’s Network urged women in Kuwait to vote through publication of an educational voting leaflet outlining voting rights and procedures.  A one-page, two-sided leaflet was distributed to 200,000 women before the June 29 parliamentary elections.  Side one urged women to use their newly-acquired right to vote, and included bullet points regarding a  woman’s right and duty to vote as Kuwaiti citizens; the fact that Islam does not prohibit a woman's vote; and quotes from Kuwaiti, Arab, and religious leaders condemning vote buying.  Side two focused on process, and included key voting day instructions, including the voting locations and procedures, as well as information about the ballot and the proper way to complete it.  Subsequent to elections, a scientific poll of a random sample of eligible Kuwaiti women voters examined what determined each woman’s decision to vote or not vote, and what impact the leaflet and its message had on each woman’s decision to vote.
16. Dar Al Atta: “Developing Entrepreneurship for Low Income Women” -Low-income women in Oman rely heavily on small-scale and home-based micro-enterprises for their family livelihood. With a population where 50% is under the age of 15, Oman needs more entrepreneurs to start businesses and create jobs for the rising generation. Dar Al Atta will train and inspire Omani micro-entrepreneurs stabilize and grow their businesses by developing their entrepreneurial skills and fostering their economic independence. Additionally, 10 local guest speakers will be invited to share their experiences and act as a role models to whom the participants can relate. (Success story)
17. Qatar Media Services: “Advancing Qatari Women in Media” - Through this project, Qatar Institution for Media Services (QMS) will train female media professionals to improve their abilities and expand their participation in the media industry. 150-200 participants (journalists, editors, trainers, media professionals, and activists) will attend a series of workshops on societal, traditional, and religious views of women in journalism, and the role of Qatari media in supporting and advancing women participation. QMS will draft and present an “action plan” to the Majlis as-Shura, government and media agencies, requesting specific actions to strengthen women’s participation in the media industry. In addition to developing a stronger public support for women participation, the first Qatari Journalists Assembly will be created to strengthen the role of Qatari women in the democratic process through the development of strategies to eliminate the obstacles that hinder their participation. (Success Story)
18. Moza Al Maliki Training & Consultation Center: “Promoting Political Participation of Women in Qatari Society” - Moza Al Maliki Training and Consultation Center will educate 40 Qatari university women on democratic values and the importance of female political participation in a 4-week training course. Selected program participants will initiate and lead working groups and activities on these topics on campus, and participate in women get-out-the-vote efforts in Qatar ahead of 2007 parliamentary elections.
19. Arabic Cultural Center for Training and Consultancy: “Activation of Women’s Role in Democracy Consolidation and Realization of Supremacy of Law” - The Arabic Culture Center for Training and Consultancy seeks to educate Qatari women on the fundamental tenets of democracy; increase their awareness of their basic rights; motivate them to pursue these rights; get them engaged in political, economic and social activities; teach them to make strategic life decisions; and empower them to combat political and economic corruption. The project will train a group of 30 selected Qatari women student and professional leaders over a 6-month period to become civic activists in one or more of the above issue areas.
20. Qatar University: “Qatari Women as Civic Leaders” - Qatar University staff, with the assistance and of an international expert, trained 30 selected female students in concepts of civic activism and effective methods of civic leadership.  Upon completion of workshops and instructional sessions delivered over the course of three months, student participants applied their training to plan and implement an actual advocacy campaign addressing an issue of public concern in Qatar.  Their advocacy effort included meetings with government officials, a report to the media, and a public seminar.
21. Qatar University represented by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar:  “In Their Own Words: Qatari Women Write on Current Affairs” - Qatari Women’s civic engagement deficit to their male counterparts is rooted in culture, lack of knowledge, and lack of experience.  This project improved the civic engagement and communication skills of university women participants; taught them to consider, research, and analyze contemporary issues in Qatar, form opinions, and communicate their opinions effectively and persuasively in writing.  In the course of establishing an on-campus, female writers’ club, Qatar University trained female students on effective research, analysis, and opinion writing.  Participants were then invited to submit an essay to a persuasive writing contest, in which each writer argued a position on any of three contemporary topics in Qatar: social development, business, or politics.  Selected essays were compiled into an anthology, and winning essays publicized and distributed to the media. (Success Story 1, Success Story 2 and Success Story 3)
22. Moza Al Malki Training and Consultation Center: "Get Out the Vote: New Women Activists Seek Women Voters" - The project provided a voter education program through the Moza Al Maliki Training and Consultation Center encouraging women to exercise their right of political participation ahead of the April 2007 Central Municipal Council's election. The Center drew upon women university students to distribute a Get-Out-The-Vote leaflet and to conduct a survey on women's political participation in Qatar.  The Center produced a summary and analysis from its survey on the reasons women did not register and/or did not vote, and suggested messages and strategies for an effective women's voter registration/GOTV effort ahead of national elections in 2008.  
23.  King Abdulaziz Philanthropic Women Organization: “Community Advocacy for Women and Girls” The King Abdulaziz Philanthropic Women’s Organization promotes women's engagement and girls education through training and advocacy efforts, in cooperation with other community organizations and institutions in Al Qassim.  Training and public awareness campaigns to address the high dropout rate of girls in secondary school, and the inequities and obstacles faced by women in the workplace and community.  Selected student participants will be trained as student trainers and funded by the King Abdulaziz Philanthropic Women Organization to conduct peer training and presentations at schools throughout the region.  
24. Samia Falimban:  “Engendering Volunteerism, Activism, and Social Responsibility in Saudi Women” – Ms. Falimban conducted a training program to educate young women on how to play an active role in society through volunteering for community service programs that focus on global issues. These young women used their newly learned skills to carry out their own public awareness campaigns – in schools, universities, and public gathering places on various global issue days, such as International Women’s Day, World Health Day, World Environment Day, and the International Day of Disabled Persons.
25. Women Federation of Yemen – Abeen: “Supporting Women Political Participation in Yemen” - Through this project, the Women Federation of Yemen (WFY) and its partner organizations will pursue a two-pronged effort in Abeen, Ma’arib, and Shabwa to strengthen the viability of women candidates from those governorates in Yemen’s 2009 Parliamentary elections. First, to affect public opinion and support for electing women representatives, a series of targeted meetings and workshops will seek the support of local leaders and opinion-makers; including political party representatives, civil society activists, media professionals, tribal and community leaders, religious leaders and imams. Second, with the assistance of an international expert, potential woman candidates from these three governorates will receive training on conducting election campaigns, communications, and utilizing the media. To garner community support, WFY will involve the media in all project components, and will produce and post 3000 posters in the three governorates; urging public’s backing for women in Parliament.
26. ATHAR Foundation for Development: “Fighting Street Harassment of Women in Yemen” - With public harassment growing in Yemen, ATHAR Foundation for Development is implementing a targeted project to educate Yemeni society about the gravity of the issue, mobilize key community members to speak out against this practice, and strengthen the implementation of existing laws and policies that condemn verbal and physical violence against women in public places. The project will include a study to establish baseline data on harassment of women that will inform a campaign to change social attitudes and mindsets towards the treatment of women in public places. The program will also empower victims with the requisite knowledge and tools to report harassment and pursue justice.
27. SOUL:  “ Strengthening Women’s NGO Advocacy and Operations in the Governorate of Marib” - Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should not only serve community social, economic, and educational needs, they should also organize and empower citizens to seek governmental support, services, and policies that are responsive to those needs.  NGOs should not just serve citizens, they should mobilize them.  Through this two-phase project, SOUL strengthened the ability of 15 women NGOs in the governorate of Marib to mobilize citizens, engage government, and advocate for the needs and rights of the people of their communities:  Phase one provided participant NGOs training and resources essential to strengthening their operations and capacity.  Phase two provided training on effective advocacy campaigns; including effective lobbying of municipal councils and government institutions, and how to garner public support.   Both phases included examples of best practices from other Yemeni NGOs. (Success story)
28. Al-Rahma Foundation: "Business and Marketing Skills for Women" - This program trained and encouraged female youth of Dar Al-Rahma to produce high-quality handicrafts such as woven rugs for domestic and international markets. It promoted and expanded productivity and profitability of female youth which helped them gain skills to start their own business and improve their economic opportunity. The products of the project were marketed through networking and agreements with selected Trade Centers in the major tourist sites in Yemen.
29. Modern Youth Society: "Empowering Women Constituents in Yemen through Awareness and Activism" - The project strengthened the ability of Yemeni women in the governorates of Shabwa, Ma’reb and Abeen to participate in political life as well-informed, active constituents.  Participants lobbied elected local officials and held them accountable for addressing key issues of local concern.  The Modern Youth Society drew upon leading women in the three governorates to form committees that were responsible for identifying issues of concern, raising the awareness of local women, and lobbying and monitoring their respective Local Councils on current and future development issues, projects and services.
30. Social Democratic Forum: “Enhancing Women’s Political Participation and Candidacies” - Efforts to advance women’s political participation and leadership need to be better supported by Yemen’s primary political parties.  The Social Democratic Forum (SDF), with the assistance of international experts and the advise of stakeholders, will engage Yemen’s primary political parties in an examination of needs and strategies for strengthening women’s political participation; formulate, propose, and publicize specific actions requests to the parties’ leadership; and provide training to a cadre of existing women political party activists and leaders.  After a series of panel discussions and women political leadership workshops, SDF and selected project participants will participate in a radio program in each governorate and a nationally-broadcast television program to discuss their goals and objectives for women’s political participation, and the specific requests SDF made to the political parties. (Success story)
31. Democracy School: “Parliamentary Monitoring and Legislative Advocacy: Yemeni Women Exercise Political Leadership” – This project is designed to strengthen the ability of Yemeni women to have an impact on public policy and legislative discourse, while increasing public focus on the role and actions of Parliament.  To strengthen a cadre of Yemeni women political leaders, the Democracy School will organize and provide assistance to 120 former women Parliamentary and Municipal Council candidates to establish and lead a parliamentary watchdog effort.  These women political leaders will receive resources, training, and consultation throughout this new effort to focus attention on Parliamentary action or inaction.  They will attend workshops on monitoring and lobbying parliament; public awareness, opinion, and action campaigns; and how to operate as an informal network. Participants will issue newsletters, conduct awareness seminars, and conduct campaigns calling for the Parliament and public’s support for specific legislative actions. (Success story)
32. Awam Institution for Development: “Countering Societal Attitudes that Discourage Women's Political Participation” - With the April 2009 national election in the background, this project aims to counter gender stereotypes and societal attitudes in Yemen, through a campaign that both challenges these attitudes and raises awareness of the importance of women's political participation.  The campaign will employ both audio and audiovisual tools; including a documentary film on women’s political participation and leadership, and a radio comedy sketch on societal attitudes toward women that inhibit their participation.  Sanaa University students will then participant in a competition to draw upon the documentary and the comedy sketch to convey a compelling message in a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) script.  The winning script writers will receive professional assistance producing actual PSAs to be disseminated via television, radio and the internet. (success story)
33. Women's Media Forum: “Empowering Yemeni Women Journalists To Take up Human Rights Issues” - In Yemen, women journalists lack awareness of internationally defined human rights, the journalistic skills to raise violations when they exist, and the skills to mount successful campaigns to shore up public support and defend their causes.   Through the Media Women Forum (MWF), this project aims to raise awareness, deliver training and develop skills amongst a select group of 40 women journalists from multiple Yemeni governorates to enable them to raise human rights criticisms and advocate for government action.  Participants will attend workshops on international human rights instruments, human rights reporting and investigative journalism, advocacy campaigns, and alternate media. They will also publish articles on a select human rights issues.  A group of outstanding participants will be selected to form a committee to train and advocate for women journalists in their coverage of human rights violations. (Success story)
34. Yemen Women Union: “Women Preachers Promote Yemeni Women's Political Rights” - While Islam treats women and men as moral equals, Muslim women remain challenged by social and cultural barriers that hinder their equal political participation, ostensibly in the name of religion.   Through this project, the Yemeni Women Union (YWU) will first train 10-15 women preachers from each of 10 governorates, raising their awareness about the importance of differentiating between religion and custom.  In the process, participants will explore women’s political rights under Islam and receive instruction on the principles of democracy and human rights.  Two women preachers from each group will then attend a 4-day forum together.  The discussion forum will be facilitated by an international expert on the rights of women under Islam, and how they are affected by traditional views of women and gender roles and the applicability of democracy in Muslim societies.   The forum participatns will also receive one-day of training on internet research skills. The YWU will summarize the discussion sessions outlining both the material presented as well as participants' reactions to it.  These leading women preachers will then engage in further activities (including radio talks shows) to expand awareness of the results of the project to the general public.  
35. Arab Human Rights Foundation: "Women’s Rights Awareness Week for High School Boys" - Leading up to a declared "Women's Rights and Equality Awareness Week" in 20 boys high schools, the Arab Human Rights Foundation (AHRF) will train the schools' principals on women's rights and equality, drawing on the Quran, Sharia, Yemeni law, and International Standards.  During the training, principals will contribute ideas for the content of a brochure to be distributed to students, and a poster to be used on their schools’ campuses.  The trained principals will, with the support of an AHRF trainer, then provide training for all Social Studies teachers in their high schools.  During the declared "Women's Rights and Equality Awareness Week", the women's rights and equality posters will be hung all over school campuses and each trained teacher will deliver a one-hour lesson to all their students on women's rights and equality, and distribute the brochures.  All students will write an essay on women's rights and equality, as well. The winning student essay will be read to all the students in the high school, and forwarded to AHRF.  AHRF will compile the winning essays from all 20 high schools into a booklet and distribute them at a press event, where a few selected essay writers will be interviewed for radio, TV, and newspapers.  The best four of the 20 participating principals will be invited to contribute to the training of another 20 principals, and the process will be repeated in another 20 schools.
36. Dr. Fatima Al-Sayegh: “Seeking Women’s Civic Activism in the UAE” -While women in the UAE are making strides in business  and government,  their impact in still fledgling civil society needs encouragement.  A MEPI  local grant project at UAE University helps identify causes and addresses them with efforts to expand women’s roles in civil society.  Other Mission-driven, MEPI-funded projects encourage women’s civic and economic participation and train women in public policy advocacy, as well as IT and new media skills. UAE University Professor, Dr. Fatema Al Sayegh, with the assistance of a polling expert and student volunteers, will implement a poll examining the knowledge and attitudes of Emirati University and professional women toward civic activism and NGOs.  Her summary report and analysis of the polling data will be the basis of two public seminars. 
37. Zayed University: “Emirati Women Short Stories Competition” -Zayed University focused attention on the public perception of Emirati women and encouraged English language development in a project that resulted in a published anthology entitled “Emirati Women in the UAE Today”.  Students at UAE University, Higher Colleges of Technology, and Zayed University submited short stories depicting modern Emirati women in business, the workplace, family, public life, education, as consumers, and as leaders.  In addition to inclusion in the anthology, selected short story entries were broadly publicized in magazines, newspapers, and other media throughout the country.
38. Abu Dhabi Businesswomen's Council:  "Seed program for a Women's Entrepreneurship Center" - This project trained a core team of Emirati businesswomen on small business development and practices. The UAE Businesswomen Council used this core group to develop a center to train UAE women on how to start a small business. These members were the core team who in turn held training for other UAE women entrepreneurs in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
39. Zayed University: "The 21^st Century Emirati Woman: My Future as a Citizen and Leader" - Encouraged women's participation and leadership in public life and raised public awareness of the important role of women in the future of the UAE.  This project provided communication skills training through workshops and one-on-one sessions, culminating in a public speaking contest about the Emirati woman's role as a citizen and leader.  Contest winners received additional leadership training and took on roles as student leaders and mentors in Zayed University's new Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Center for Leadership. (Success story)