To date the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) has funded five grants in North Africa and the Middle East for the total amount of $350,000. The grants are targeted to local organizations and fund projects that seek to increase the effectiveness of efforts to combat gender-based violence (GBV), women’s knowledge of and application of their civic, legal, political, and economic rights, and their access to justice, rule of law, and social and economic services. These small grants are based on the foundation that political and economic stability cannot be achieved without the full and effective participation of the women and girls and local organizations that make up the backbone of society.
Providing comprehensive response to GBV, projects seek to increase protection of survivors, prosecution of perpetrators, and prevention of future crimes.
Creating Attitudes in ADAA Favorable to the Elimination of the Practice of FGM, Egypt (Secretary’s Fund: Avon Award)
This program aims to increase knowledge of and promote attitudes opposing the violence against women and related issues within the community through the dissemination of appropriate and relevant information. Awareness activities will be implemented to increase the knowledge and skills of individuals and groups to express their opinions on gender based violence and FGM. Interventions will consist of: a) education sessions for both female and male adolescents b) group discussions with elder women, and mothers in-law; c) awareness campaigns for young mothers; d) special efforts to reach and change the attitudes and practices of the practitioners of FGM; and e) community-wide dissemination of information, in the form of pamphlets, posters, brochures that include right health messages with regard to violence and FGM.
Increasing women’s access to training, mentorship, credit and finance, and skills building with the goal of increasing their economic independence, their participation in eco-friendly and agriculturally-successful practices, and the creation of women-owned enterprises
Entrepreneurship Masters Class, Egypt (Small Grants Initiative)
This project utilizes the latest educational modules and training methods on work readiness financial literacy and entrepreneurship to help young women who otherwise would have no opportunity to better the state of their lives. The goal of the program is for these women to take what they have learned and apply it to a small business or profession from which they could eventually support themselves and their families. This project expands the implementation of the Entrepreneurship Master Class through a workshop campaign focusing on 13 governorates mostly in Upper Egypt. The workshop targets women aged 15-21 and implements approximately eight workshops in each governorate to reach around 6,500 women.
Increasing women’s political participation
Advancing Women Villagers’ Political and Economic Rights, Egypt (Small Grants Initiative)
This project addresses the obvious vulnerability of Egyptian women's social, economic, and political rights. It aims to empower Egyptian woman and young girls on these issues by targeting the following entities: the board of management of the five partner Community Development Associations (CDAs), the executive offices of the woman club of each selected CDA, members of the Women’s Advocacy Groups, political and religious leaders in the involved communities, young girls, and women and men in the community at large. This creates a partnership between the umbrella NGOs and the partner CDAs and encourages the WAGs to play a more active role in their communities.
Leading Women Program, Palestinian Territory ($100,000) (Small Grants Initiative)
The Leading Women Program (LWP) takes 80 women activists and leaders from 24 marginalized communities in the Ramallah and Salfeet governorates and builds their leadership and management skills in order to make them active and effective community leaders. The program develops their technical knowledge and practical skills so that they can mobilize others to take action and address issues affecting their communities. The LWP intends to train these women in managing organizational resources, designing specific projects, and building coalitions. It seeks to build a strong network of local women's groups that will provide mutual support in their advocacy and lobbying efforts.
