Karim Ghamrawi and Lea Habr, MEPI TLS students at LAU Byblos Campus, participated in Unilever’s Uniway competition where they presented their idea for an inclusive morning kit that promotes diversity, inclusion, and equity. The campaign aimed to involve women from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, including women in STEM, disabled women, hijabi women, and children. The ...
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By jarbuz | 8 May, 2023 | Topics: Art & Culture, Business, Culture, Events, Gender Issues, Near East & North Africa, Success Stories | Tags: alumni, Arab media, civil society, Entrepreneurship, leadership, MENA, Success Stories, Tomorrow's Leaders
Ashraf Sabkha, a 2015 graduate of the Tomorrow’s Leaders Undergraduate Program from the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), recently became the first Libyan Knight-Hennesy Scholar at Stanford University. Under the Tomorrow’s Leaders scholarship, Sabkha received leadership training and support, graduating summa cum laude from the American University in Cairo with a ...
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By jarbuz | 19 September, 2022 | Topics: Alumni, Business, Economic Affairs, Economic Issues, Education, Environment, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, Study in the U.S., Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Business, economic growth, Entrepreneurship, fellowship, leadership, Libya, MENA, Middle East, North Africa, Success Stories, Tomorrow's Leaders
With assistance from a MEPI Leaders Grant, Nora Chaynane, a 2019 alumna of the MEPI Student Leaders Program (SLP), successfully trained 50 participants from 10 different regions of Morocco to leverage technology and innovation in rapidly changing environments. Through her Shine Space Smart Sustainable Solutions (S.5 Project) initiative, Nora received a small grant from the ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 16 June, 2022 | Topics: Alumni, Business, Culture, Economic Affairs, Education, Featured Event, Job Opportunities, Near East & North Africa, Scholarships and Exchanges, Study in the U.S., Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: advocacy, alumni, assistance, Business, economic growth, Entrepreneurship, Morocco, Success Stories, Youth
Mohammad Aljilani participated in the MEPI Student Leaders Program (SLP) at Portland State University in the summer of 2019 where he studied conflict resolution, leadership, democracy, and U.S institutions. Mohammad believes in the power of diversity and describes the lessons learned with the Student Leaders Program as “a new lifestyle”. He shares that, “I have ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 25 February, 2021 | Topics: Agriculture, Alumni, Business, Culture, Economic Issues, Featured Event, Government Offices, Near East & North Africa, News, Success Stories | Tags: AI, alumni, climate, Green, Jordan, Leaders, leadership, MENA, Middle East, Student Leaders, Success Stories, Sustainability
The Al-Rawabet project promotes the growth of high-potential companies and invests in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Safi-Marrakech region, with funding from the United States Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). A new public private partnership (PPP) in Safi, Morocco started through Al-Rawabet is providing opportunities for young entrepreneurs to ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 29 December, 2020 | Topics: Agriculture, Business, Culture, Doing Business in the U.S., Economic Affairs, Economic Issues, Events, Featured Event, Job Opportunities, Near East & North Africa, News, Science & Tech, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, assistance, Business, Commerce, economic growth, Employment, Entrepreneurship, MENA, MEPI, Middle East, Morocco, Near East Foundation, news, Success Stories
Omar Itani, MEPI Student Leaders 2016 alumnus, began his entrepreneurial career in the startup world. With his schoolmates, he established his first startup, VISIO, an initiative specialized in waste management and recycling. VISIO won the 2012 INJAZ company program and the Best Social Impact Award in the Regional Competition for Arab Young Entrepreneurs in Doha-Qatar. ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 10 November, 2020 | Topics: Agriculture, Alumni, Economic Affairs, Economic Issues, Education, Events, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, News, Scholarships and Exchanges, Study in the U.S., Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: advocacy, alumni, Civic Engagement, economic growth, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Lebanon, MEPI, Student Leaders, Success Stories, Youth
The MEPI-TL scholarship program helps to cultivate academic and leadership skills to underserved students in the MENA region. These students then use the knowledge and skills they gain to take leading roles in serving their community on many fronts, including academia, economy, civil society, policy, healthcare, research among others. One example of an inspiring TL ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 21 October, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, Health Issues, Near East & North Africa, News, Policy, Public Affairs, Scholarships and Exchanges, Study in the U.S., U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Cancer Research, Civic Engagement, civil society, Entrepreneurship, fellowship, Georgetown, Health, Leaders, leadership, Lebanon, MENA, MEPI, Middle East, Policy, Scholarships, Success Stories, Tomorrow's Leaders
As young as eighteen years old, Danya Arayssi (SLP 2018, Lebanon) recognized many of her community’s challenges. Through accounts she heard about women being silenced by cultural norms, traditions, and values, Danya knew that her passion lied in empowering women. Danya explains, “They are silenced to denounce a continuous yet traumatic daily abuse and human ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 8 October, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Culture, Education, Featured Event, Gender Issues, History, Human Rights, Near East & North Africa, News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: advocacy, alumni, Arab media, civil society, economic growth, Entrepreneurship, fellowship, Georgetown, leadership, Lebanon, MENA, Mental Health, MEPI, Middle East, Student Leaders, Success Stories, Youth
MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders program has recently launched, for the first time, the “My TL story” contest across the top three leading universities in the Middle East; the Lebanese American University, The American University of Beirut and the American University of Cairo. The contest invited current TL undergraduate students to share their experiences during the TL ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 22 September, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Art & Culture, Education, Events, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, Study in the U.S., Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Entrepreneurship, LAU, Leaders, leadership, Lebanon, MENA, MEPI, Middle East, North Africa, Scholarships, Tomorrow's Leaders, Youth
Nasser al-Tooblani graduated from MEPI’s Tomorrow’s Leaders program at LAU in the spring of 2020 with a BA in Psychology and received High Distinction. Suffering from diabetes since he was two years old, Nasser has consistently struggled with diabetes self-management throughout his life. In his capstone project « Bloom », Nasser came up with the ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 21 September, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Job Opportunities, Near East & North Africa, News, Scholarships and Exchanges, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Arab media, Bahrain, Entrepreneurship, Health, Leaders, MENA, Mental Health, MEPI, Middle East, Success Stories, Tomorrow's Leaders
Ghufran Ashor, a MEPI’s Tomorrow’s Leaders LAU alumna from Libya, graduated in Spring 2019 and began her search for the right post-graduation job. She sought a role that would serve purpose and allow her to make a difference. After an excessive job search, Ashor landed a job that matched her skills and aspirations perfectly. In ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 3 September, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Culture, Featured Event, Fundamental Freedoms, Gender Issues, Health Issues, Near East & North Africa, News, Scholarships and Exchanges | Tags: alumni, Arab media, BBC, civil society, COVID, COVID-19, Employment, LAU, Leaders, leadership, Libya, media, MENA, MEPI, Minorities, Tomorrow's Leaders, women
Salaam Halila, Tunisian MEPI TL Alumna from LAU, excelled as a communication major during the program and used the skills she acquired to create two successful awareness campaigns surrounding mental health and promoting cultural differences in Arab society. In March 2019, while in her junior year, Salaam launched “Bil Hawa Sawa” (We are all in ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 19 August, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Culture, Education, Featured Event, Health Issues, Near East & North Africa, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Campaign, LAU, Mental Health, MEPI, Middle East, North Africa, Stereotypes, Success Stories, Tunisia, women
Censorship and the spread of fake news remain two of the main challenges that media and journalism face in Tunisia. Tunisian journalists are continuously working to alleviate these challenges and improve the sector. To help solve these challenges, MEPI’s Leadership Development Fellowship (LDF) program Alumna Ahed Jamaoui created Media Impact +, a project for training local ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 13 August, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, civil society, journalism, LDF, media, MEPI, North Africa, Success Stories, Tunisia, TV
After participating in MEPI’s Student Leaders Program Mohammed Taoufik, felt compelled to find a solution to the high crime and drug rates that he saw in the youth in his community in Casablanca. He created a public awareness and support campaign to showcase the positive impact building a youth soccer field would have on the ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 24 June, 2020 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, civil society, drugs, Leaders, leadership, MENA, MEPI, Middle East, Morocco, North Africa, Student Leaders, Success Stories
It’s not every day that young people have the opportunity to talk with global leaders about critical issues. But on October 2, a group of young professionals from across the Middle East and North Africa met with Lebanese President General Michel Aoun and other Lebanese officials to discuss political, social, and economic issues affecting the ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 31 October, 2018 | Topics: Events, Featured Event, News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Lebanon, MENA, MEPI, Middle East, Youth
The MEPI Alumni Venture Fund (AVF) aims to collaboratively utilize the leadership skills that alumni have developed through their various MEPI program experiences in the Middle East and North Africa. The AVF supports alumni to work together on innovative solutions to economic and/or community needs. The small grants provide seed funding for innovative ideas to develop new partnerships, foster sustainable collaboration ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 10 July, 2018 | Topics: Alumni, News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MENA, MEPI
During his participation in the MEPI Student Leaders program at Portland State University in 2016, Safwen Karoui became inspired by the principles and ideas behind conflict resolution. He wanted to take the professional skills that he gained from the program and apply them to work with local associations and civil society organizations in his home ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 9 July, 2018 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MENA, MEPI, Success Stories, Tunisia
When Houssam Askar first saw the announcement for the MEPI Student Leaders program, he was so excited that he stayed awake all night thinking about what to write for his application. His dream came true when he was accepted into the program at Georgetown University in June, 2015. Through Student Leaders, Houssam is better prepared ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 9 July, 2018 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Lebanon, MEPI, Success Stories
Reham El-Saidi experienced major changes in her life after participating in the Leaders for Democracy (LDF) Program. The program increased Reham’s knowledge of civic engagement, leadership skills and introduced her to new cultures and ideas, which allowed her to see things from different perspectives and reflect on her role within her community back home. During ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 3 July, 2018 | Topics: Featured Event, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Gaza, LDF, MENA, MEPI, Success Stories, West Bank
As many LDF Fellows, Michel El Daccache described the Leaders for Democracy Fellowship (LDF) program as a turning point in his life. The LDF experience was a milestone for multiple and enriching opportunities that helped shape his growing career. The program allowed him to develop his civic action plan and transform it into a manual ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 19 June, 2018 | Topics: Featured Event, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Lebanon, MENA, MEPI, Success Stories
Awsam believes that the LDF program was a turning point in his professional career. The program provided an opportunity for him to write and publish his first book on the Media Public Service Broadcasting Network (PBN) in Iraq. This book is a part of Awsam’s CAP project in which he aims to engage the broadcasting ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 18 June, 2018 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Iraq, LDF, MEPI, Success Stories
Youth unemployment is a perennial challenge across North Africa, including in Algeria, where rates typically approach 30%. Since its launch in September 2015, the MEPI-funded Youth Employment Project has established nine career centers across Algeria, helping young job-seekers to gain new skills tailored to local market demand. From Algeria’s largest ports to smaller trading hubs ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 15 June, 2018 | Topics: Featured Event, Job Opportunities, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: Algeria, alumni, Employment, Success Stories, World Learning
Sikkuy, The Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality, launched its new guidebook for Arab local authorities May 8 on the mapping and identification of the needs of citizens in the field of transportation. With support from the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), this Sikkuy initiative aims to improve implementation of the Israeli government decision ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 22 May, 2018 | Topics: News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Israel, MEPI, Middle East
Calling all MEPI Alumni! We here at MEPI are excited to add to their number by engaging with you to further your personal and professional development… but we need your help! A few weeks ago, you received an email from our colleagues at IREX on behalf of the MEPI Alumni Connection Program, requesting that you ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 8 May, 2018 | Topics: U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MENA, MEPI
On April 4-6, in Hammamet Tunisia, the 2018
Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)
Student Leaders Capstone Seminar brought together more than 100 students from across the Middle East and North Africa who have completed an intensive six-week leadership training program in the United States. The hands-on sessions are designed to build the knowledge and skills of the young participants in three ...
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By kadah | 16 April, 2018 | Topics: News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MEPI, Tunisia
As a dedicated advocate for peace building and conflict resolution, Hicham El Hadad is actively working to build the bridge of communication between youth and local officials in his community to address and find solutions to problems affecting youth in Northern Morocco. Since he returned from the
Student Leaders program funded by the
Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) in 2014, Hicham has used ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 30 March, 2018 | Topics: Featured Event, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Morocco, Success Stories
One of our most dynamic MEPI Leaders for Democracy Fellowship (LDF) alumna, Nacira Amari, was elected on December 3, 2017 to her local city council in the western city of Saida, near Oran. A high school math teacher, Amari was a tenacious candidate, winning despite divisions within her local party apparatus. She certainly offers a ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 26 January, 2018 | Topics: Featured Event | Tags: alumni, MENA, MEPI, Success Stories
MEPI Alum Abbas Sibai (Leaders for Democracy (LDF) U.S. Program, 2013) has launched “Live Love Volunteer,” which leverages the popular Live Love social media accounts to promote volunteerism in Lebanon. Live Love Volunteer’s next activity is a trash clean up day at Lebanon’s Kfarhelda waterfalls on September 16. Abbas co-founded the “Live Love Beirut” social ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 26 October, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Leaders, MENA, Success Stories
Over 260 youth applied to participate in the DreamUp competition in El Jadida and Safi. Forty selected youth participated in training and coaching events organized by the Machrou3i incubators, a project funded by MEPI that provides support and coaching to youth entrepreneurs, to develop their business plans. In the final competition, the top ten selected youth presented their innovative projects ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 16 October, 2017 | Topics: Events, Featured Event, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Entrepreneurship, MEPI, Morocco, Success Stories
On August 30, a group of Tunisian State Department exchange program alumni were joined by Ambassador Rubinstein and embassy staff in a meeting with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi and his Youth and Diplomacy Advisors at the Presidential Palace. During this meeting, alumni shared the results of their experiences in the United States on a ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 30 August, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Events, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, ambassador, news, Student Leaders, Success Stories, Tunisia
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) announces a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) aimed at promoting social and private entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by partnering with its Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) alumni. Alumni networks can be effective social networks that generate both a ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 11 July, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Near East & North Africa, News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MEPI
Georgetown University Christopher Shirley, Project Director, has been working on the program 13 years, and every year he feels a profound sense of having his heart touched by 120 students working so hard at making the world better. Chantal Santalices, Director of the Center for Intercultural Education and Development, finds joy working with the international ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 10 July, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Events, Near East & North Africa, News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, Delaware, Georgetown, MEPI, Montana, Portland
A group of the 2016 MEPI Student Leaders alumni participated today in a meeting with the Chief of Staff and Directors Generals at the Tunisian Ministry of Youth and Sports. Following the MEPI Capstone conference organized in Tunis last March 2017, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Ms. Majdouline Cherni, offered her Ministry’s support for the ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 5 May, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Near East & North Africa, News, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MEPI
I am Rafiaa Boujbel, IT consultant with Tim Consulting and a Ph.D. candidate in Telecommunication Networks at Munich University of Applied Sciences. I would like to share my Education for Employment (EFE) experience with you. This experience started with an online application that I became aware of through the EFE website. After the selection process, I became a finalist ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 28 April, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, News, Success Stories, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MEPI, Success Stories, Tunisia
Exchange alumni in Saudi Arabia have successfully increased alumni engagement and expanded the Saudi alumni network through a series of events known as the Entrepreneurship Diwaniya. Traditionally, a Diwaniya is a relaxed place where people gather to discuss significant issues of the day. The Entrepreneurship Diwaniya is a series of networking and educational events connecting ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 30 March, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Featured Event, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MEPI, Saudi, Success Stories
Thank you Bedis for the warm welcome and introduction; My thanks as well to the GOT officials who are here, Majdouline Cherni Minister of Youth and Sports, and Saida Ounissi, Secretary of State in charge of Vocational Training and Entrepreneurship And to the facilitators, mentors, university partners and Georgetown for coordinating this event; Good afternoon ...
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By The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) | 13 March, 2017 | Topics: Alumni, Embassy, Events, Featured Event, Near East & North Africa, News, Scholarships and Exchanges, U.S. & MEPI | Tags: alumni, MEPI
