Promoting Public and Economic Participation of Women in Upper Akkar

Duration: 2009 – 2012

Beneficiaries: 6,800 visitors of an itinerant exhibition, 180 women from 13 villages, 13 municipalities

Donor: European Union

Partners: René Moawad Foundation

Location: Akkar (Aidamoun, AinYacoub, Andket, Akkar el Attika, Bezbina, El Borj, Fneideq, Hrar, Mishmish, Qabait, Qobayat, Rahbe and Tikrit)

Objectives:

The project aimed at increasing women’s access to economic opportunities as well as contributing to their greater participation in public life. The implementation of the project was carried out jointly with other partners; Mada was specifically responsible for promoting women’s involvement in local public debate through the creation of active women committees in 13 Akkar villages located in the future Natural Park.

Activities:

– Initiation of 13 women’s committees to be involved in the preparation of development plan for their villages,
– Awareness sessions on environmental priorities (water, waste management) in the concerned villages; one-day session on “Gender and public participation”,
– Production by the women’s committees of a synthetic document on their vision’s priority axes and potential projects in the context of the Natural Park,
– Presentation and discussion of the document elaborated by the women’s committees to the municipalities,
– Visits to Lebanese nature reserves,
– Production of educational and informative materials (CD and leaflet) for the thematic sessions about environmental priorities in concerned villages,
– Production and circulation in 14 villages of a mobile exhibition on the richness of natural resources of the area.