2005 Gulf Region Programs

Bahrain

Bahrain Journalists Association: Improving Press Reporting on Local and National Elections
Accomplished U.S. journalists and journalism professors train journalists in Bahrain to effectively and ethically cover campaigns, candidates, and elections. A follow-up phase trains journalists on covering the activities of parliament and parliamentarians. Samples of pre- and post-workshop reporting are compiled and used as instructional tools. The project produces a manual for distribution to all BJA members and a journalist's code of ethics.

Jordan

Land and Human to Advocate Progress (LHAP): Human Rights and Democracy in Action in Northern Jordan Valley Schools
LHAP expands and makes sustainable a previous-year MEPI small grant to create student parliaments in schools in the Jordan Valley; train the elected students on democracy issues and guide their operation; and train teachers to incorporate democracy, human rights, and civic engagement principles into their classroom instruction. Three youth centers are tapped to participate fully in expanding the project to more schools, and their participating staff members are trained as trainers.

World-Links Arab Region (WLAR): Arab Region Learning Center Portal
WLAR educates and trains school teachers in the Arab world on integrating the use of computers and the Internet into classroom curricula and instruction. The project also creates an online portal in Arabic that enables schoolteachers from throughout the region to communicate and collaborate with one another on lessons, projects, and teaching methods.

Sharhabeel Ben Hasna Association (SBHA): Rights Advocacy Campaign for Those with Special Needs
The project advocates for the rights of disabled persons living in the Jordan Valley area, heightening public awareness of the issues concerning disabled individuals and leading a community campaign to lobby public officials to better accommodate the rights and needs of this neglected sector of society. The program examines the issue from a social, cultural and legal perspective.

Kuwait

The Women's Network: Make Your Right to Vote Count
The Women's Network urges 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 information 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 examines 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.

Martha Steffens, University of Missouri journalism professor, in partnership with the Kuwait Journalists Association: Parliamentary Elections Coverage and Reporting Effectively
Martha Steffens, facilitated by the Kuwait Journalists Association, provides training to media professionals through workshops to improve the ability of journalists and editors in Kuwait to report effectively and ethically on parliamentary campaigns and election-day events. A follow-up phase trains journalists on covering the activities of parliament and parliamentarians. Samples of pre- and post-workshop reporting are compiled and used as instructional tools. The project produces a manual for distribution to all participants and KJA members, and a journalist's code of ethics.

Society for Study and Training in Leadership Development: Kuwaiti Women Leadership Training
The Society for Study and Training in Leadership Development develops women's personal leadership potential in professional and civic settings. The project trains women to assume leadership roles in university, professional, and civic life. A series of six training programs and dissemination of training materials culminate in a publicized event launching a new network of Kuwaiti women leaders.

Oman

Community Links: Parent-Teacher Council Reform
Community Links helps form and activate 10 model parent-teacher councils throughout Oman. The project provides parents and school administrators the vision and skills to seek the active participation of parents in addressing issues that affect the quality of children's education. Community Links teaches the parent-teacher councils to create action plans to be implemented by these new councils in their regions. Following completion of the project, each trained parent-teacher council will mentor and guide a second parent-teacher council in its region through the same process.

Emirates American Consulting and Training Center (EACTC): Promoting Stronger Unions through Elections
The EACTC introduces and helps incorporate the internal and external democratic processes of labor unions for the newly-formed workers committees that constitute the Oman Main Representative Committee (MRC) for Labor Relations. EACTC conducts two workshops for MRC members. The first workshop focuses on organizing and carrying out elections for the national body of MRC. The second workshop examines the function and the role of unions in civil society. The project produces manuals to support the activities of the MRC's leaders and members.

Oman Journalists Association: Oman Journalists Association (OJA) Media Training Center
The OJA sets up a training center where expert trainers and materials educate journalists on a broad range of skills and concepts required to fulfill the role of an independent press in a democratic society. The project produces training modules that raise the professional standards of journalists; improves the coverage of local issues key to Oman's democratic growth; and strengthens the role of the OJA as an NGO committed to advancing freedom of the press and professional, independent reporting.

Community Links: Strengthening Civil Society Organizations Through Volunteerism
Omani NGOs receive training from international experts on how to best utilize members as active volunteers. Participating Omani organizations learn how to structure themselves effectively through definition of roles and responsibilities of volunteers. Each participating NGO examines its organizational structure and develops an action plan to effectively engage volunteers to carry out the organization's mission and achieve its goals.

Qatar

Moza Al Maliki Training and Consultation Center: Promoting Political Participation of Women in Qatari Society
Moza Al Maliki Training and Consultation Center educates 40 Qatari university women on democratic values and the importance of female political participation in a four-week training course. Selected program participants 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.

Martha Steffens, University of Missouri journalism professor, in partnership with Qatar University: Parliamentary Elections Coverage & Reporting Effectively
Martha Steffens, facilitated by Qatar University, provides training to media professionals through workshops to improve the ability of journalists and editors in Kuwait to report effectively and ethically on parliamentary campaigns and election-day events. A follow-up phase trains journalists on covering the activities of parliament and parliamentarians. Samples of pre- and post-workshop reporting are compiled and used as instructional tools. The project produces a manual for distribution to all participants and Qatar media outlets and a journalist's code of ethics.

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 trains a group of 30 selected Qatari women student and professional leaders over a six-month period to become civic activists in one or more of the above issue areas.

Saudi Arabia

King Abdulaziz Philanthropic Women Organization: Community Advocacy for Women and Girls
The King Abdulaziz Philanthropic Women's Organization promotes women's empowerment and girls' education through training and advocacy efforts, in cooperation with other community organizations and institutions in Al Qassim. Training and public awareness campaigns will 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.

Samia Falimban: Engendering Volunteerism, Activism, and Social Responsibility in Saudi Women
Samia Falimban educates 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 use 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.

UAE

Emirates Environmental Group (EEG): Creating a Civil Society Organizations Network (CSON) for the UAE
EEG brings together 10 UAE civil society organizations to establish a CSON in the UAE. Expert assistance strengthens the institutional capacity of the participating civil society organizations and guides them through the process of sharing expertise and best practices through their new partnership. The project produces a strategic plan for the operation and growth of the new network, as well as a joint advocacy campaign on a public policy issue of mutual concern.

Zayed University: Emirati Women Short Stories Competition
Zayed University focuses attention on the public perception of Emirati women and encourages English language development in a project that results in a published anthology titled Emirati Women in the UAE Today. Students at UAE University, Higher Colleges of Technology, and Zayed University will submit 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 will be broadly publicized in magazines, newspapers, and other media throughout the country.

Dubai Women's College (DWC): Establishing an Entrepreneurship Center and Curriculum at DWC
DWC, with assistance from Temple University, establishes training modules and activities to provide instruction on entrepreneurship at an on-campus entrepreneurship center and develops entrepreneurship curriculum that will be taught as part of the coursework for several academic disciplines beginning in the 2007-2008 school year.

Yemen

National Organization for Developing Society (NODS): Democracy and Human Rights Training for Imams
NODS brings together imams to discuss the values of democracy and human rights. Over the course of 10 workshop sessions, imams learn to research issues from international sources on the Internet and participate in discussion and debates on human rights and democracy. Upon completion of the program, a booklet summarizing main points and lessons learned is formulated and distributed widely to other imams so that all can incorporate these concepts, ideas, and values into their influential teachings in their communities.

Al-Aghabera and Al-Arouq Charitable Society (AACS): Creating Dynamic Community Libraries
AACS trains four librarians, 40 teachers, 40 parents and 50 students as trainers. They in turn will train 2,000 peers at four community libraries on how to use library and Internet resources. Community library clubs will be created in each community, through which future library users will receive training and resource materials.

Youth Leadership Development Foundation (YLDF): Youth Leadership Program
YLDF teaches male and female Yemeni youth to develop business and entrepreneurial skills that will enable them to enter the market as small business entrepreneurs or professional employees to help vitalize Yemen's private sector. The one-year program, Youth Business Professionals Program (YBPP), consists of four training modules, and includes placement and referral support to its graduates.

Yemen Polling Center: Political Participation and Governance — Public Attitudes and Perceptions
Yemen Polling Center staff are trained and supported by an expert consultant to carry out effective and accurate polling. Four separate polls are conducted across four different governorates in advance of Yemen 's municipal council and presidential elections. Results are distributed to Yemeni media, political parties, and civil society institutions.

Regional

International Center for Not-for-profit Law (ICNL): Gulf Civil Society Law Reform
ICNL works with regional and international experts to examine the role of civil society in democratic societies and the legal framework necessary to enable and protect it. A regional workshop examines samples of existing and draft laws governing civil society from the region, Europe, and the United States, and common components of effective legislative frameworks. Follow-on activities in two selected Gulf states expand seminar participation to include stakeholders from government, parliament, civil society, and the legal profession, and seek to launch drafting groups that ultimately draft and advocate for new, model legislation.