West Bank & Gaza
MEPI in the West Bank and Gaza
MEPI projects in the West Bank and Gaza support capacity-building, good governance, and political party reform projects. Important strides have been made to upgrade the technical capacities of Palestinian media and to increase educational opportunities for Palestinian youth. Additionally, MEPI activities are helping women and young people become more engaged in Palestinian civil society.
Featured Highlights
-
New Cohort of Leaders for Democracy Fellows
The seventh cohort of Leaders for Democracy Fellows arrived in the U.S. on March 18, kicking off the six-week long academic portion of their fellowship. The twenty-two Fellows are based at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs where they will complete coursework in democracy studies, conflict resolution, political mobilization, and communication.
-
Public Opinion Research: A Tool for Rising Women Leaders
Public opinion research provides political parties and activists’ with insight into constituents’ perceptions and needs, and enhances policymakers’ abilities to respond to voters. Elected officials at all levels of government utilize public opinion data to improve citizens’ access to services and to better engage constituents, which is essential to increasing political participation.
-
Civic Education Leaders Visit Washington
The sixth cohort of the MEPI-funded Civic Education Leadership Fellows (CELF) visited the U.S. Department of State in Washington. The 13 Fellows – all university professors from the Middle East and North Africa – are completing three-month residencies at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University.
-
MENA Students Enter Young Entrepreneurs Competition
In 2012, over 5400 high school and university students from the Middle East and North Africa competed for spots on the MEPI-supported sixth annual INJAZ Al-Arab Young Entrepreneurs Competition. Seventy five students secured finalist spots for the competition which took place in November 2012 in Doha, Qatar.
-
MEPI Partner Uses New Media to Inform Citizenry
Through its Social Media|Social Action (SM|SA) project, MEPI partner IREX recently issued a solicitation to provide small grants to youth-serving non-governmental organizations (NGOs) interested in leveraging media tools and approaches to increase the outcomes and impact of their organizations’ activities.
-
MEPI Launches 214 New Projects in 2012
As of September 30, 2012 (the end of Fiscal Year 2012), MEPI awarded an unprecedented number of grants to international and indigenous organizations working throughout the Middle East and North Africa region. These grants reflect a large increase in civil society activities in MENA, and strong demand for MEPI support, especially in countries that recently experienced democratic transitions.
-
West Bank’s Aspiring Journalists Learn to Cover Sensitive Topics
The MEPI-funded Ekhbariyat Network’s “New Reporters in Various Social Fields” project was officially launched on June 25. Participating in the program are 20 journalism students from the West Bank-based An-Najah University. Each participant is required to write 12 reports during the six-month-long project.
-
International Youth Activism Summit Promotes Cross-Border Collaboration
In June 2012, MEPI partner Soliya convened an international summit during which thirty-four Fellows ages 20 to 30, from the United States, Europe, and the Middle East met to work together towards the betterment of their communities.
-
Students Leaders Learn About Civil Society and Leadership
A total of 118 undergraduate students from across the Middle East and North Africa participated in the 2012 MEPI Student Leaders Program in Washington, D.C. The program brings civically engaged students with outstanding academic achievements from universities throughout the region to the U.S. to study civil society, democratic participation, and leadership.
-
Sec. Clinton Affirms Commitment to Supporting Arab Reformers
MEPI’s 2012 Leaders for Democracy Fellows (LDF) met with Secretary Clinton on May 29th, following their participation in the Civil Society Strategic Dialogue town hall meeting earlier in the month. The Secretary praised the fellows’ reform-oriented activism and work in advancing civil society during an unprecedented time in the Arab world.
-
Young Activists Produce Films to Capture Change
After extensive training in media production and community engagement provided by U.S.-based NGO Soliya and MEPI, 110 young civil society leaders throughout the Middle East and North Africa are harnessing the power of new media technologies to promote informed and constructive discourse on reform topics.
-
MEPI Partners with the League of Women Voters to Advance Reform in the Region
MEPI is pleased to announce the G8 Broader Middle East North Africa (BMENA) Initiative partnership with the U.S. –based NGO the League of Women Voters. The BMENA Initiative is a multilateral effort to promote cooperation between the G-8 and BMENA governments and civil society to advance reform efforts throughout the region.
-
American Consul General Honors Graduates of MEPI Young Female Entrepreneurship Program
In late February, 57 graduates from Palestinian Polytechnic University (PPU) in Hebron who participated in the MEPI-funded “Young Women Information Technology Entrepreneurship and Incubation,” received their graduation certificates. The young female entrepreneurs completed a total of 200 hours of training in management, accounting and finance, marketing and public relations, entrepreneurship, and life skills.
-
2011 Leaders for Democracy Fellows Meet with Secretary Clinton
MEPI’s 2011 Leaders for Democracy Fellows met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on June 3. The Secretary assured the Fellows of U.S. Government support for democracy and human rights across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and praised them for their dedication and hard work.
-
West Bank and Gaza Chapter alumni visit retirement home for Mothers’ Day
More than a dozen Palestinian alumni spent Mother’s Day with the women of the Elderly Society Association in Qaddoura refugee camp near Ramallah where they brought variety of home-made food and a special cake. The elderly women, who would otherwise spend the day alone, enjoyed the feast and the company of the young volunteers.
-
Increased Capacity of Local NGOs in the West Bank Results in a Greater Demand for Services
The Palestinian Child Home Institute serves the town of Bethany, just three miles from Jerusalem, through civic education programs for youth and women.
-
Arrival of Computers Prompts Cultural Shift at All Male Youth Club in the West Bank
In the village of Tel, which is southwest of Nablus, men and women remain separated in most of their daily activities; however, since the Tel Youth Club received an in-kind award of $25,000 from MEPI’s Community Leadership Empowerment Program, members say the community is now experiencing a cultural shift.
-
MEPI Project Empowers Women in Gaza Strip
The Palestinian Women's Information and Media Center, a registered Palestinian NGO based in Gaza, has accomplished the first phase of the MEPI-funded project “Capacity Building for Palestinian Women in the Gaza Strip through Dissemination of Democracy, Human Rights & Gender Sensitivity.”