2003 Small Grants

North Africa:

Morocco - (Women) - The New Family Law (Moudawana) Explained through Theatre Play - The Rabat Branch of the Moroccan Women's Forum in collaboration with theater Aquarium is launching an awareness campaign through theater to sensitize rural, urban, and working-women and men about reforms to the Moudawana. The project aims to convey better awareness of the family code articles and to clarify the discrepancies that lie within wrong interpretations and misunderstandings of the code that cause tensions among men and women and among family members.

Morocco - (Economic) - U.S. - Morocco FTA Website - This website is part of a public-private, Moroccan-U.S. partnership outreach effort to educate both U.S. and Moroccan businesses about the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). The American Chamber of Commerce FTA website has been the primary source of information on the FTA for businesses, NGOs, journalists, and even GOM and USG officials. The AmCham has designed and launched the site, but requires long term operating expenses for maintenance of website, translation, and website registration. The website directly supports the U.S.-Morocco FTA.

Morocco - (Education/Economic/Women) - Fondation Tanger al Madina - This grant will support the activities of Fondation Tanger al Madina, a Moroccan NGO. This NGO provides literacy classes and technical training (sewing) for an underserved community of women in Tangier. The NGO also helps women find employment and develop a sense of local community.

Morocco - (Education/Economic/Women) - Right to Education in Rural Areas - This grant supports Association Azocas in the province of Zagora to provide vocational training for rural girls and to reduce St. Ouzdine's high rate of illiteracy. The association seeks to integrate rural women into the process of civil society development and has successfully managed projects reaching peasants, students, women and children.

Algeria - (Political) Training Ministry Spokespersons - This grant will promote greater government transparency and press responsibility by exposing ministry communication officials, journalists covering the Algerian government, and university journalism professors to the important role that ministry spokespersons play in disseminating information to the public. In conjunction with the “National Syndicate of Journalists,” U.S. experts will offer training to spokespersons through a series of workshops.

Algeria - (Political) Strengthening Democracy in Algeria - This grant to “The Cultural Association for the Promotion of Citizenship,” an Algerian NGO, will enable leading secular and moderate Muslim activists from all parts of Algeria the opportunity to exchange ideas and to develop a strategy for the political problems that face their country. Participants will develop a list of recommendations and projects for follow up and implementation as well as publish and distribute the proceedings of the conference.

Algeria - (Economic) Strengthening the Small and Medium Enterprise Sector in Algeria - This grant will support the Algerian Chamber of Commerce in putting together a conference of Algerian SME entrepreneurs in agriculture, manufacturing, and chemicals that have the potential for export growth. Two U.S. experts in management and marketing will convene workshops on how SMEs can increase profits, expand operations, obtain financing, acquire foreign partners, and compete in a WTO market.

Tunisia - (Political) English Language Training for Journalists - This grant will improve the English language proficiency of local journalists thereby allowing them to access a greater variety of source material leading to more balanced reporting on world events. The grant also responds to the increasing demand from journalists for quality English-language training.

Tunisia - (Political/Education) Berber Village Assistance: Human Rights and Legal Assistance for Berber Women - This project is part of a larger program package that will provide health, literacy, and psychiatric assistance to Berber women and a means to sustain those services. International Solidarity Association (ISA) will perform visits to three Berber villages in the Takrouna Governate, teaching women their fundamental rights as well as strengthening their basic reading and literacy skills. ISA is a new Tunisian NGO created to implement projects funded under UNESCO's International Solidarity Fund.

Tunisia - (Political/Economic) - Awareness Campaign: Corporate Governance in Tunisia - The Arab Institute for Business Leaders intends to develop a corporate governance awareness campaign for the Tunisian private sector followed by a conference and documentation on the topic. This project responds to the needs of young entrepreneurs who are now managing their family businesses and looking for a new model to replace the traditional structure of family-owned businesses and to better compete in an increasingly global marketplace.

Tunisia - (Economic) - Developing a Regional “Family Enterprise Center” and
A Seminar on the Management of Family Business - In line with its mission of contributing to the development of sound and sustainable companies and to respond to the needs of the enterprises of the region, this grant will support the Mediterranean School of Business (MSB) in creating a Family Business Center. This project will fund a seminar dealing with the management of family businesses and the development of a blueprint for the establishment at MSB of a Regional Family Business Center.

Egypt and the Levant: 

Egypt - (All Pillars) Ibn Khaldun Center (two grants) - This project introduces concepts of economic development to young women in two of Egypt's rural and urban areas and enables young women to take the initiative in improving their living conditions. The project also provides literacy training, a line of micro-credit, and case-worker support and assistance, especially in regard to the issues of reproductive health and social and political rights.

Egypt - (Women) - ECWR Annual Conference - This grant will support The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights in training women leaders from across the region in advocacy training for confronting discrimination as related to the political and social status of women. This annual forum will bring women together to help each other learn basic skills, enable them to obtain their rights through legal channels, raise their awareness and familiarize them with their legal rights, offer legal and family counseling and consultancy, as well as monitor the violations inflicted on women.

Israel - (Women) Empowering Arab Women Counselors-A Training Course - In the framework of capacity building, this project will provide professional upgrading to 20 holders of the position of Women's Counselor (one per Israeli town/village/city to deal with women's issues in mayors' offices establishes consultative body of local women to deal with related issues) within the Arab community. The course is comprised of 150 hours of theoretical training and personal and group processes. In addition, an exchange platform will be created for Jewish and Arab communities through internships at major Jewish municipalities. The project strives to improve professional skills, create a network of Arab professionals and raise the awareness of professionals to the importance of women's issues in the Arab sector.

Israel - (Women/Economic) - Economic Empowerment for Bedouin Arab Women provides women from the towns and unrecognized villages in the Negev with the training, support and guidance needed to successfully set up and run their own small businesses, individually or in partnership with each other. The project enables these women to contribute significantly to the economic support and welfare of their families, while realizing their own potential and empowering themselves, their kin and their communities. The project combines entrepreneurial and business with vocational training, assists the women in the preparation of a viable business plan and in accessing small startup loans, and continues to guide and support participants throughout the initial stages of fielding enterprises.

Israel - (Education/Economic) - Junior Achievement Initiative - Young Entrepreneurs Israel will conduct Junior Achievement patterned courses in Israeli high schools to develop entrepreneurial skills and an understanding of how companies work. High school students in schools located in predominantly Israeli Arab communities will meet once a week for two-three hours in groups of 15-20 members each. Each group will take a “mini-company” from the initial conceptual stage through the implementation of company business plans to the provision of an annual report and finally to the liquidation of assets. Group participants will learn how to operate as a team; delegate tasks; raise and manage capital; choose a product or service; conduct a marketing survey; and produce, market; and sell the product or service. The “company experience” will be framed by several concentrated task specific training sessions. Groups will participate in regional, national, and possibly international competitions.

Israel - (Education) - Bringing Home Democracy and Civic Education to Arab Schools in Israel - This grant supports a colloquium to take place in the framework of an M.A. program on Democracy and Citizenship studies for Israeli Arab teachers and educational activists. The program's activities will include lectures, analysis of texts and textbooks, and discussion fora. Students will design suitable instructional methods for the civics curriculum in Arab schools by linking values of democracy with the traditions and culture of Israeli Arab citizens and by drawing upon academic thinking as well as direct knowledge of the realities of daily life in Arab schools and classrooms.

Jordan - (Political/Women) - Arab Women in the Media - This grant supported an Arab Women Media Center's (a local NGO) three-day conference that assembled female Arab media professionals to create an Arab women in the media network, coordinate positions in order to advocate for revised laws, and to discuss issues such as: the governmental and financial influences upon Arab media, media ethics, the difficulties faced by female Arab journalists, and the role of the media in democracy and human rights education.

Jordan - (Political) - Eye on the Arab Media - This project attempts to raise the quality of the Arab press by raising awareness in professional journalistic standards through a regular process of critiquing what is written and broadcast. A weekly radio program will monitor and critique media output in Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. It will also take up the issues of media laws and practices, the business of media, and the relationship between the media and the government.

Jordan - (Political/Economic) - Focus on Corporate Governance in Jordan - The Jordanian Forum for the Economic Development will conduct an evaluation study of the status of corporate governance through a review and assessment of Jordanian laws and regulations. A comparative study will be prepared to compare the state of corporate governance practiced in Jordan with the OECD principles of corporate governance in order to evaluate to which extent they are compatible. Findings will be presented in two workshops and published as well.

Jordan - (Political) - Empowerment of a Better Media Role in the Society through Parliament and Judiciary Support (two grants) - This project will aim to build a Jordanian media freedom and practice standard that coincides with international principles and practices. The Center for Defense of Journalists' Freedom will work with parliamentarians, veteran journalists, and lawyers to produce a set of principles that will be presented in a seminar. A follow up grant will allow for the convening of small gatherings to implement findings and distribute CD-ROM versions of “Parliamentarians Guide to the Media” and “Journalists Guide on how to deal with the Judiciary and Verdicts on Media Cases.”

Lebanon - (Education) - Literacy Program for Lebanese Teachers - This grant will enable the International College to train a group of 25 “star” teachers in the principles and elements of literacy training of young children. The trainees will become trainers for other teachers in their schools and neighboring communities. Follow up programming could include training literacy teachers from other countries in the region.

Lebanon - (Education) - Digital Reform Initiative - This grant will enable the Safadi Foundation to increase its capacity to assist women and youth seeking to improve their livelihoods. The grant will provide computer hardware and software, extensive English language training, and computer skills training to the targeted audiences in Tripoli and Northern Lebanon.

Lebanon- (Education/Women) - Empowering Arab Women through Literacy - This program will seek to empower illiterate and semi-literate women in Lebanon through the creation and publication of a series of simple booklets on civic education, women's issues, and legal rights. Booklets will improve and maintain women's literacy level as well as inform them on topics relevant to their everyday lives and concerns.

Lebanon - (Education) - Pillars of the Future - Through practical capacity building activities and training workshops, the Center for Development and Planning will introduce high school students to the concepts of democracy, transparency, and accountability to build toward the future goal of good governance. CDP will create an interactive CD that will contain the necessary information to train students and teachers on the civics concepts that will be communicated through this project.

West Bank - (Women/Political) - Enhancing Women's Participation in Elections, Phase II -The Association of Women Committees for Social Work in Ramallah is following up a previous project that trained women candidates in preparation for Palestinian elections. This follow up will increase voter education activities among rural women. It will highlight the role that women can play in the forming a more democratic society, the achievement of improved legal and social rights, and the fight against corruption. Pre-election workshops and lectures that stress civic participation will be held in women-only environments and higher educational institutions; voter guides will be distributed to increase women's knowledge of the voting process and the fundamental principles of democracy.

West Bank - (Political/Economic/Women) - Public Participation in Democratic Budgeting Process - This project aims to counter the elements preventing public participation in a transparent democratic budgeting process on both the levels of national and local government. The Palestinian Media and Development Institute aims to train NGO leaders to analyze government spending on gender and youth issues so to advocate for increased promotion of rights, socio-economic development, and improved spending efficiency.

Gulf:

Bahrain - (Political) Promoting Freedom of Speech and an Open Media in the Gulf: A Student-Run Campus Radio Station at the University of Bahrain - aims at reinforcing the principle of freedom of speech and the role of an active and pluralistic media in an open and free society. The University of Bahrain mass communication students will run the first campus-based university radio station in the Gulf. This project supports the University's efforts to prepare future media professionals for jobs in the rapidly changing media environment in a country on the path to democracy and political reforms.

Bahrain - (Women/Education) - The Mother Child Early Education Program - The Mother Child Early Education Program is a research-based, home-intervention program that addresses the lack of affordable, public pre-school in Bahrain. MOCEP provides poor families, specifically mothers, with the tools needed to educate their pre-school aged children at home. It provides a cost-effective approach for meeting some of the critical social and educational needs that lie at the heart of disadvantaged communities.

Bahrain - (Political) - Trafficking-in-Persons Victim Abuse Assistance - The Foundation for Global Leadership (FGL) will support hotline training for the staffs of Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Labor (MOLSA) Relations Department and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights Migrant Workers Group. The grant will bring two American specialists from the U.S. NGO Foundation for Global Leadership to train hotline telephone operators and their supervisors to respond successfully to abused workers who call for assistance. FGL will provide training materials that can be used by trained supervisors to facilitate training of new MOLSA staff and BCHR volunteers. The Center and MOLSA will retain the knowledge (materials, information) imparted by this training for potential future use.

Bahrain - (Political) - Family Empowerment and Education Reform for Adolescents with Mental and Physical Handicaps - Through this project, al-Rahma Center, a new non-profit school for the mentally retarded in Bahrain, will enhance its social and educational development as well as its capabilities to serve and empower underprivileged families. This grant will help develop the vocational skills and talents of the young adults served by al-Rahma Center as well as help the Center to improve its advocacy capabilities.

Kuwait - (Women/Economic) - Kuwait Gender Budget Study - To help develop a strategy for gaining support for political rights for women, the Kuwait Economic Society will conduct and publish a gender sensitive analysis of the most recent available Kuwaiti budget. Such an analysis will bolster claims by women's rights activists that the lack of a voice in politics translates into concrete economic disadvantages for women and their children codified in the law.

Oman - (Political) - Human Rights Advocacy in Oman - This grant will enable the Oman Association for the Disabled (OAD) to raise awareness about the rights of the disabled in Oman. The project will result in the production of two public service announcements for broadcasting on national television, an organizational video about the OAD, and training in media production for OAD members. It will strengthen the outreach capacity of an important player in the arena of Oman's fledgling NGOs, as well as set the stage for the implementation of the law on disabled rights that is currently being reviewed by the Omani Government.

Oman - (Economic/Women) - Promoting Rural Businesswomen - This grant will support the economic empowerment programs of Al Qabil Heritage Group, a community organization comprised primarily of Bedouin women. The project will raise the economic standing of women in a neglected area that receives limited government services. The grant will encourage micro-enterprise development by offering marketing and sales training as well as product review and design consultations to Bedouin craftswomen in the Sharqiya region.

Oman - (Political) - Building a Coalition for Public Awareness in Oman - Using road safety as a focus, this project will build a coalition of NGOs, medical professionals, educators, parents, corporations, and individuals to formulate a public awareness campaign aimed at changing driver behavior. The campaign will serve as a model for coalitions to be built around other issues, thereby building civil society in Oman.

Oman - (Political/Education) - Student Horizons: Student Councils and Civil Society in Oman - This grant will fund Student Horizons, a leadership exchange program for the Modern College of Business and Science Student Council, the first elected student council in Oman. This program will encourage the development of representative student participation in universities in Oman and the Arab world by funding a civic education American university study tour for the elected student council. Upon completion of their study tour, students will create a curriculum on leadership development and student council formation for use by other universities in the region. This program will also utilize the burgeoning American Corner programs in the Gulf as points of communication between American and Arab student councils.

Qatar - (Education) - Enhancing common understanding and promoting educational reform through improvement in English Language Teaching in Qatar - The Qatar Teachers of English Network will organize a conference and series of workshops that raises quality standards of English language and enhances mutual understanding among Qatari's educators and international colleagues. ESL/EFL educators will have an opportunity to network, strengthen their means and methods of exposure to information sources and current practices in the field, and learn more about related information in the field of ESL/EFL through publications, websites, and other media.

Qatar - (Education/Political) - Friends of the Environment Center - This grant will allow a Qatari NGO to produce an animated video (based on a well known Qatari folktale) that raises children's awareness of environmental issues. The project emphasis is cleaning up and recycling; the project will build upon an existing partnership between the NGO and 46 public schools. At the conclusion of the project, the US government will retain full broadcast rights to the video.

Saudi Arabia - (Education/Women) - The American English Language Teachers' Association - The American English Language Teachers' Association will sponsor a series of workshops and seminars focused on improving educational standards and teaching methodology. This project is designed with the dual purposes of developing teaching skills for female public school teachers and of improving the quality of basic and secondary education.


Saudi Arabia - (Education) - King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for the Gifted Program - This grant funds 15 scholarships to gifted students from Kuwait, Yemen, UAE, Bahrain and Oman to attend a four-week summer camp. Camp activities will include lectures, research, field trips, and volunteer activities. These activities are designed to foster experiential learning, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork

UAE - (Political/Education) Higher Colleges of Technology Students' Study Tour - This grant will enable eight female students from the Dubai Women's Student Council to travel to Boston and Washington D.C., visit political and historical sites, meet American and Arab leaders, and learn about political advocacy and awareness building. Students will also attend a leadership course at the University of Maryland as well as attend workshops at Wellesley College. Prior to departure for the United States, students will participate in workshops on leadership, the principles of democracy, and the U.S. political system.

UAE - (Education) - Zayed University - Ras al Khaimah Education Zone - This grant will provide 10 workshops to the Ras al Khaimah (Zayed University) education zone in the area of creativity and problem solving. Zayed University is the leading government university for women students in the UAE.

UAE - (Education/Economic/Women) - Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Work Passport Program - This project will enable a group of twelve UAE women participants in the Work Passport Program to gain appropriate training in work conduct ethics, world business knowledge, information on contemporary world issues and marketing and customer services. Participants will also receive English language and computer training.

UAE - (Education/Economic/Women) - University of Sharjah Program - This project will fund the participation of five U.S. experts from American academic institutions in the University of Sharjah's annual faculty development conference. The University of Sharjah is a conservative traditional segregated institution with almost no U.S. influence. This program will be a means to start a dialogue and make some inroads into the Emirati community at the university.

UAE - (Education) - Zayed University Scholarships - This grant will offer half tuition scholarships to four masters of education Emirati students in Zayed University's College of Education new two-year program in Educational Leadership. The students will be selected based on need. The course will be taught in English and in partnership with Iowa State University.

Yemen - (Political) Children's Parliament 2004 - This project will work on reviving the Children's Parliament already established in 2000 with an inclusive approach consisting of three stages of activities. This proposal requests funding for stage three (local and international donors are funding stages one and two) “Preparation and Implementation of Children's Parliament Work Plan, that includes Promotion of Youth Participation through media advocacy, network facilitation, and skills development training. In 2000, 20,000 children elected 35 members representing all governates who met with several ministers and advocated for specific reforms and improvements for children in Yemen. Government of Yemen participated in this process.

Yemen - (Education) - Use of Yemeni Folklore in Social and Educational TV Reform Program - This project aims to promote social reform through the effective education of Yemeni youth about positive social and educational values. The project will collect 10 Yemeni folktales that advocate for educational and social reforms (education for all, team work, women's rights, democratic practices, social values of justices, rule of law, etc, with focus on Al-Jouf heritage) and create the first Yemeni folklore cartoon in Yemen to be used in educational and social reform for young Yemeni audiences.

Yemen - (Political/Economic) - Promote Reform and Development in Al Jouf - The Al Jouf Social Council for Development (“ASCD”) strives to bridge traditional civil society with modern representative democracy. This grant will allow ASCD to work with local leaders to examine and more effectively allocate public resources in the governorate. ASCD will also identify opportunities for public-private partnerships in ways that increase investments, access to credit, and encourage local job creation. This project also aims to develop and implement an agreement to improve the local economic environment by reducing violence and increasing respect for rule of law necessary for free-flowing trade.

Yemen - (Education/Economic/Women) - Illiteracy and Enterprise Development Skills for Rural Women - The project is designed to develop women's education and entrepreneurial skills by teaching reading and counting skills concurrently with weaving skills and business training. This grant will allow up to 300 rural women to acquire basic reading, writing and counting skills, as well as a marketable skill, with the goal of empowering disadvantaged women to become informed decision-makers at home and income-earners in their communities. In addition, linkages to existing micro-credit financing programs will augment marketing and business practice training.

Yemen - (Women/Political) - Awareness Campaign on Legal Documentation and Women's Rights - This project seeks to reduce the legal and social barriers to women's full participation in society by educating women about what legal documents they need, why they are important, and how to obtain them without the intervention of a male relative. The goal is to use mass media and targeted workshops to increase awareness of women's rights, and to empower women to protect their civil rights, including ownership and voting rights.