The leading mobile operator in Lebanon, Touch, managed by Zayn, announced in a statement on Friday that its partnering with Fe-Male association has resulted in the launch of a joint venture for women and girls’ empowerment in the Bekaa and Akkar regions. The partnership, the statement said, is part of the Positive Touch for sustainable development program which provides a 9-month local training, covering part-time courses focusing on the introduction of ICT related topics, such as, computer literary, use of smartphones and social media networks. Female beneficiaries are expected to receive education on cybercrimes and how to deal with them. In addition, the program includes awareness sessions on the rights of women, building action plans, and mentoring on entrepreneurship, leadership, public speaking, decision-making and the capacity to express oneself confidently. The participants will benefit as well from intensive workshops aimed to improve their language skills, particularly in English. The Touch statement concluded by saying that because generally women in rural areas are totally incognizant of their rights, they will be trained to think critically, become leaders in their communities and improve their skills in motivating decision-making and communication. (Al Mustaqbal, August 11, 2018)