Lebanon

On September 5th, Women’s Learning Partnership presented a panel at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) entitled “Technology for Women’s Rights Advocacy and Democracy Building.” In introducing the event and the panelists, Carl Gershman, President of the NED, pointed to the importance of women’s political participation and the key role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in mobilizing women as voters and leaders. The discussion, moderated by WLP President Mahnaz Afkhami and including panelists Sakena Yacoobi of the Afghan Institute of Learning, Asma Khader of Sisterhood is Global Institute/Jordan, Lina Abou Habib of Collective for Research & Training on Development-Action in Lebanon, and Rakhee Goyal of WLP, addressed the increasingly crucial role of ICTs in the context of advocacy for women’s rights, and how ICTs can be used within a participatory framework.

IRIN
July 22, 2008

Thousands of children in Lebanon are denied full access to education, healthcare and residency because they do not have Lebanese citizenship.

Lebanese women cannot pass on their nationality to their children and in the event of separation, it is the father who gains automatic custody, according to Lebanese nationality law.

Eighteen women's rights activists created blogs, online petitions, and Facebook groups to promote their advocacy efforts on behalf of women's rights in Beirut, Lebanon. They learned these new technology skills at the National Institute for Training of Women Trainers in Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) for Social Change. The Institute was convened by WLP, in cooperation with WLP Lebanon/Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTD-A) in Beirut from December 9-12.

The new technology tools were extremely popular because they offer small, resource-strapped organizations the means to advocate for women's rights. One participant is now using her new skills to promote her women's cooperative products online. CRTD-A Information Technology (IT) co-coordinator, Lina Aboulhassan, has already started a blog to raise awareness of CRTD-A's latest activities at www.new-crtda.blogspot.com.

Participants, each of whom facilitated a session of the manual, learned how to use participatory training techniques to train others in ICT skills. CRTD-A Gender Program Coordinator, Roula Masri, facilitated a training session on social networking.

Women's Learning Partnership (WLP) and Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action convened a National Institute for Training of Women Trainers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Social Change in Beirut, Lebanon from Dec 9-12, 2007. The Institute was facilitated by WLP colleague Usha Venkatachallam of Appropriate IT. Learn more about the Institute through Usha's photo blog below.

To view photo blog in alternate sizes: Large | Full Screen

Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP), in cooperation with WLP Lebanon/Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTD-A), conducted an online distance learning course (eCourse) for 25 women from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine from September 3 through November 22, 2007.

The course enabled participants to develop participatory leadership skills, encouraged cross-regional dialogue on rights, and emphasized peer-to-peer learning and cultural exchange. During online discussions participants explored the qualities of an effective leader, discussed challenges they face and their personal contributions toward realizing change, and developed a shared vision through engaging other participants. In discussions on the qualities of an effective leader, Nour* commented that leadership is "the art of cooperating and communicating effectively in order to reach a common vision." Laila* believes that leadership is the "flexible style of coordinating and cooperating with people."

WLP Lebanon/Collective for Research and Training on Development.Action (CRTD.A), in cooperation with Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) International, is conducting an online distance learning course (eCourse) for 25 women from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine from September 3 through November 3, 2007. The course is designed to develop inclusive and participatory leadership skills, encourage dialogue on rights, and facilitate cooperation for gender-equitable change initiatives.

From September 5 to October 21, 2005, a group of 14 experienced leadership trainers from Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Palestine participated in a five-week prototype Arabic eCourse to test and adapt the Arabic curriculum in preparation for a full eCourse in 2006.

WLP trained partners from Morocco and Lebanon to act as facilitators for the upcoming course, focusing on use of the course technology and the interactive, problem-solving methodology that guides the course.