Integrating Gender
In Yemen, USAID provides scholarships; literacy, life skills, and health information; and training to girls and young women.
(Photo: Tony Doggett, USAID/Yemen)
MIDDLE EAST BUREAU GENDER PROGRAMS
Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen
CONTACTS
Audra A. Degesys
Asia and the Middle East
Tel: (202) 712-5332
Email: adegesys@usaid.gov Overview
Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, women continue to face obstacles to obtaining an education and are restricted from full economic and political participation in society. To help ensure that our development investments benefit all of society - women and men, girls and boys - USAID incorporates a gender focus in all of its programs in the region.
Programs
Increasing Opportunities for Education and Training
In Morocco, USAID supported the Scholarship for Success Program, operated by the Rural Girls' Educational Support Committee and its local non-governmental organization (NGO) network. The program is now independently run by rural NGOs. Grants have been awarded to 85 NGOs that implement literacy programs for rural women not only in classical Arabic but also in the Moroccan dialect and an indigenous Berber language, Amazigh. The improvements that have been made in rural women's literacy are a breakthrough for Morocco.
In Jordan, to help encourage women and girls to pursue careers in information and communication technology (ICT), USAID has supported a public-private partnership among UNIFEM, Cisco Systems, and the Government of Jordan. Seven Cisco Networking Academies provide technical training as well as "soft skills," such as guidance on interview techniques and resume writing.
Promoting Economic Participation
USAID's microcredit programs in the West Bank and Gaza ensure that women have access to credit to start or expand their businesses. USAID has assisted four microfinance institutions, one bank, and savings and 2,500 credit cooperatives and has maintained 25,000 active clients. More than 70 percent of these clients are women.
In Lebanon, USAID's "Rural Delights" program has built a system of 37 cooperatives with a marketing branch that distributes and exports over 100 brand-name foodstuffs. Approximately 1,600 rural Lebanese women have been trained in hygienic processing methods, production, manufacturing, and management skills. Earnings for these women are between $140 to $300 dollars a month, a significant amount of money in a country where the average income per person is $415 per month.
Increasing Access to Health Services
In the past year in Yemen, more than 1,100 staff members from health facilities were trained in family planning and maternal and child health services. Over 650,000 Yemenis have been reached by public health awareness messages delivered by health workers, religious leaders, and educators.
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