News updates

Within the framework of collaboration framework between the village of Rashaya al-Fakhaar in Lebanon and the French municipality of Eloise known for the same trade, a delegation of “Pottery producing and marketing cooperative” visited the city of Bouffet for a full month for the purpose of learning how to develop pottery making and supporting local heritage.

Source: Al-Nahar 10 June 2013

The Sanad fund for financing micro, small, and medium enterprises signed with the Lebanese Association for Development (Al Majmoo3a), a USD two millions loan agreement to support the plans of the latter organisation and aiming at strengthening and broadening the scope of its work in support of micro-enterprises. The executive director of Al Majmoo3a, Youssef Fawwaz, stressed in a speech delivered on the occasion that this agreement highlights the important role that his micro-finance organisation plays in the sustainable development of Lebanon, through empowering individuals with limited income, particularly owners of small enterprises and women, while providing them with financial and non-financial services which otherwise they are unable to directly access from the banking system.
Source: Al-Safir, National News Agency 6 June 2013
 

Al Akhbar newspaper published earlier this week a report on the revision of Clause 14 which is related to ensuring equality amongst spouses thus allowing the spouses of employed women to benefit from the provision of the NSSF.  This revision was intended to ensure access to the NSSF to those excluded.  The report criticises the ways in which the Parliamentary Commission for Women and Children's Rights dealt with the issue and notes that the said Commission did not ensure equality amongst spouses and failed to show who is actually targeted with this reform.
The report traces back the process that led to the demand for this reform which originated in an initial consensus between the National Commission for Lebanese Women, the Lebanese Women Council and a number of women NGOs to address the gaps in Clause 14 including the revision of article G which stipulates that only spouses of employed women who reach 60 years of age or beyond and who are unable to secure their livelihoods because of a physical or mental disability are entitled to benefit from their wife's NSSF entitlements.  NCLW and its coalition request that this be changed to become "any spouse who does not benefit from any other form of social security.  The Parliamentary Commission distorted the revision and introduced a condition for its preliminary approval namely that the husband may benefit only if he is not engaged in paid work and if he is living in the same house as his wife.  The revision will benefit unemployed and self employed men but will leave many others beyond the remit of this revision. Mary Debs from the National Gathering to Lift All Forms of Discrimination Against Women noted that this revision is problematic in view of the nebulous definition of "engaged in paid work".  She insisted that there is a need to review this revision so that it includes working and non working spouses as well as non Lebanese spouses.
For his part, the member of the Parliamentary Commission for Administration and Justice, Ghassan Moukhaiber, indicated in an interview in Al Akhbar newspaper that the issue is not that of equality but rather one that is related to social services and that the solution lies in addressing the overall problem with the current social security system.
Source: Al-Akhbar 4 June 2013

The House of Parliament organised in collaboration with the UNDP a discussion session on the role of the House pf Parliament in creating new job opportunities for young women and men.  The event was held on Tuesday 4 June and aimed at including stakeholders in discussions around this subject and teasing out their views and suggestions so as to come out with practical suggestions within the framework of the implementation of the youth strategy paper which was adopted by the cabinet in 2012.
The head of the youth and sports parliamentary commission, Simon Abi Ramya, emphasized in his address the importance of strengthening the role of the National Employment Office.  He also discussed the overall circumstances facing youth employment and pointed out that he submitted two law petitions, the first seeking to increasing the minimum employment age so as to protect young people and the second aiming at waiving taxation on university scholarships in order to encourage the private sectors top provide such scholarships.
Source: Al-Nahar 5 June 2013

As Safir newspaper published a report about the sport compound which was recently erected in Ain el Helweh. This facility was established so as to offer an outlet for the local Palestinian community who is constantly living in a situation of fear, insecurity, and poverty.  The project was funded and implemented thanks to handsome financial contribution form Palestinian refugees living in Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
The project seeks to bring together young people from different political affiliation and to encourage conviviality and tolerance.  It also seeks to protect up to tens of thousands of Ain Helweh residents and more than 3000 children suffering from diabetes and bed wetting from the constant terror of armed violence in the camp.  The sport compound includes different facilities for several kinds of activities including a swimming pool, two football courts, basket ball courts, ping pong rooms and others.  It also includes a parking, a fast food restaurant and a ball room, and has provided 300 new work opportunities for camp residents and Syrian displaced people.
Source: Al-Safir 5 June 2013

A number of medical students at the Saint Joseph medical school organised, with the support of Mada association, an awareness-raising day on the concept of solidarity tourism in Lebanon.  The activity was undertaken with the participation of the Deir al-Ahmar Women’s League – Bekaa who used this opportunity to promote their products.
In an interview with L'Orient le Jour, Cynthia Abou Zeid, one of the event's organisers, noted that solidarity tourism is a behavior and is an alternative to traditional tourism which excludes rural areas and their residents and does not take environment into consideration.  Abou Zeid had herself attended a training course organised by Mada and which extended over 12 sessions focusing on the importance of environmental preservation and the concept of sustainable development.  Christian Abi Nader noted for his part that environmental tourism builds bridges amongst all communities in Lebanon and supports rural communities and encourages them to stay in rural areas. Jihan Jomaa noted that these training workshops have provided an opportunity to get to know women from Deir al-Ahmar who were able to set up eco-lodges and who are producing traditional food products so as to contribute to the local economy.

Source: L’Orient Le Jour 3 June 2013


 

BLC bank organised a series of workshops and seminars in various villages and towns throughout the country to introduce professionals, artisans, farmers, creators and working women to its competitive financing scheme targeting small enterprises.
The first round of workshops was entitled "The fundamentals of marketing and promoting home made food products" and included the villages of  Adloun (2 May), Baraka (4 May), Bednayel (9 May).  The second round covered Temnin al-Fawqa (11 May), Zghorta (14 May), Becharreh and Jdaydet al Metn (18 May), and Kesserouan district including: Hrajel, Faraya, and Meyrouba (25 May), and was entitled "The olive tree and its usefulness and ways to support it".
The holding of these workshop reflect the Bank's commitment to the development of the national economy through supporting small enterprises and creating new employment opportunities as well as supporting the possibility of accessing financial products by all community segments.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 3 June 2013
For more information about BLC bank activities please review the previous news published on the WEEPortal on 17/4/2013, and entitled: BLC bank organizes seminars on support to small businesses

The PRODES (Promotion et Development Social) association organised a national conference entitled "new local tourism initiatives to create employment opportunities for women" in order to introduce the project which entails support to local tourism, the hotel sector and small businesses.  The Conference also addressed the importance of professionalism in the tourist industry and the central role that women can play in this sector.
The Conference which was funded by the European Union was attended by some 250 participants from civil society organisations, municipalities, tourism companies and universities.  The event included an exhibition of tourism related products which involved 30 exhibitors.  The President of the Tourist guide Syndicate, Haytham Fawaz, reiterated the importance of sustainable development as key to tourism and local industry and noted that openness to others provides opportunities for production. For his part, the head of private education for the ministry of education, Imad al-Ashkar emphasized the importance of preserving the local rural identity through the development of professionalism in managing small businesses particularly those run by women in rural areas.
By the end of the conference, participants outlined the key elements of the action plan which included, determining a stipend for tourist guides, defining standards for recruitment, regulating the work of guides and encouraging continuous communication amongst them.
Source: L’Orient Le Jour

For more information about PRODES activities, please review the previous news published in the WEEPortal on 23/05/2013; Promoting women’s economic opportunities through strengthening rural tourism in Lebanon

Eating disorders are more common amongst young women than young men.  Some 1% of total young women suffer from anorexia whilst the percentage of young men is much smaller.  These vulnerable women are most likely to be amongst those obsessed with body image, physical activity and are less interested in sexual life. Young women suffering from anorexia also suffer from several related complications namely low bone denisty and hip fractures.
These findings were presented during the joint annual psychiatry conference which was held last week at the Order of Physicians and extended over two days.  The conference discussed ways to diagnose eating disorders namely anorexia and bulimia and their impact on women.  The event was organised after the integration of the fifth annual Francophone Days of Science at the University of Saint Joseph and fourth annual psychiatry conference at the Lebanese University.  The panels included contributions from psychotherapists from the Lebanese University and Saint Joseph University in addition to physicians from France.
Source: Al-Safir 3 June 2013