Strengthening women’s role in Lebanese rural areas with EU support

The Promotion and Social Development Association (Prodes) celebrated in the town of Maad, Byblos, the completion of its project entitled: ‘Strengthening Socio-Economic Women Role in Lebanese Rural Areas through the Development of Tourism, Hospitality and Small Enterprise Networks’. The project was financed by the European Union and implemented by Prodes in collaboration with the Spanish Association ‘Tertio Pilastro’. The celebration ceremony was held at the training center of the Institute of Management and Services in the presence of 50 stakeholders in the fields of tourism, education and development in addition to women micro-entrepreneurs from the villages of Deir Ahmar, Bsharri, Abrin, Dooma, Fatri and Ehmej. Prodes president Juliana Najem praised the successful cooperation between her association, the municipalities and local communities. The project officer, Caroline Khalifeh, noted that the vocational training workshops organized in the villages have strengthened relations between rural women on the one hand, local associations and authorities on the other, stressing the need to engage the private sector in development programs. (L’Orient Le Jour, 3 July 2015)