EU funding for a women’s economic development program in rural areas

Nine women presented in Byblos yesterday their catering and hospitality projects to a jury of experts in the field.  This event was organized within the framework of a project aiming to provide social and economic support to women in rural areas through the development of tourism, hotels and women entrepreneurship.  The initiative is implemented by Spanish NGO named ONAY and Lebanese PRODES association.  The project’s budget is fixed at some Euros 620,000 of which Euros 510,000 were donated by the European Union.
This presentation came as the culmination of a training workshop that the nine women completed and which focused on starting and running small businesses in rural areas.  The candidates are now expected to be able to develop their ideas into a project through the drawing of business, marketing and action plans.  Furthermore, the program, which will support women in kicking off their projects, targets the areas of Byblos, Batroun highlands and Becharreh and seeks to empower women socially and economically in rural areas, to create jobs through vocational training in hospitality as well as small businesses by facilitating their access to financing.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Safir 5 March 2014