PRESS RELEASES
U.S. Ambassador Signs Grants to NGOs under the U.S. Government's
Middle East Partnership Initiative
16 September 2004
Beirut - September 16, 2004. U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey
Feltman today signed four grant agreements with Lebanese non-governmental
organizations totaling $99,000, under the auspices of the U.S. Government's
Middle East Partnership Initiative.
The Safadi Foundation will receive a grant of $25,000 to create
four language labs in Tripoli to teach women and young people language
and information technology skills. These labs will allow persons
otherwise unable to access modern information and communication
technology to learn about and use this technology. The labs will
also teach the language of the Internet, namely, English, to those
who do not have access to such training.
The International College in Beirut will receive a grant of $25,000
to strengthen literacy skills. The college will train teachers to
teach literacy and act as resources for literacy training in their
neighborhoods. The goal of this project is to create and provide
a model for effective literacy teaching.
The Ambassador signed a third grant for $25,000, awarded to the
Lebanese American University to research, write and produce eleven
booklets on basic life skills, including health, nutrition, civic
education, legal rights, and empowering women. These booklets will
help women develop needed literacy and life skills.
Finally, the Centre for Development and Planning will receive $24,000
to develop a program for high school students to teach the concepts
of democracy, transparency, and accountability in government. The
project will include training workshops and producing material to
help students learn more about democratic traditions.
The Middle East Partnership Initiative, or MEPI, is a major initiative
of U.S. President George W. Bush to support economic, political,
and educational reform efforts in the Middle East through partnerships
with private sector businesses, non-governmental organizations,
civil society elements, and governments. The initiative was launched
in December of 2002, and has supported large-scale projects. This
is the first time that the U.S. Embassy in Beirut has awarded small
grants to non-governmental institutions to carry out projects in
support of MEPI's goals.
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