Click on the links below to learn about current news and events in CGE.
Student Councils Project in Yemen is a Tremendous Success
Publication of Student Council Manual
Building Bridges: Effective Post-Secondary Transitions for Girls in Developing Countries
In Recognition of International Women's Day
Briefing on the Hill: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in the DRC
Al Waref Institute Distinguishes May Rihani as Figure of the Month
Kenya: Increasing Numbers of Girls Benefit from Educational Boost
The Best of 2008 in Education and Gender Equality
Oslo Declaration Calls for Equity in Education
CGE Leader Tapped to Co-chair U.N. Team on Girls' Education
Student Councils Project in Yemen is a Tremendous Success
November 2010 - The Student Councils Project in Yemen, now present in seven governorates throughout the country, continues to impact the lives of nearly 100,000 Yemeni youth. Evidencing the tremendous success of the program thus far, the Ministry of Education (MoE) recently circulated a notice to each local education office in the Republic of Yemen requiring every school to attempt to adopt the program. As the Student Council Project is on the cusp of expansion, both regionally (to Oman) and within Yemen, the new phase will build upon the student council model’s firm anchoring in national education policy to spread the program nationally.
The project, which allows democratically elected students to form class and school councils that serve as the voice of the students, has promoted youth activism, strengthened the youth role in society, and reinvigorated schools across the country. Students, parents, and teachers alike have had the opportunity to participate in fair elections, gain leadership skills, and collaborate to design projects and activities that address the greatest challenges of their communities.
As the program has grown in size, the ambition and energy of its participants has also swelled. Students and parents are increasingly forming partnerships to implement creative activities and campaigns for the benefit of schools and communities. Projects rehabilitating community infrastructure, raising money for sick community members, and initiating health campaigns against smoking and qat (a local practice in which teenagers and adults chew the qat leaf to experience mildly stimulating narcotic effects) have resulted from student and parental collaborative efforts in some of Yemen’s poorest, dangerous, and most neglected regions.
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Publication of Student Council Manual
October 2010 -The instructive “how-to” guide to forming student councils walks students through the process of forming and activating class and school councils. Written in a style accessible and relevant to students, the manual informs students about the importance of student councils; the roles and responsibilities of council members; the election process; the components of productive and organized meetings; the importance of short- and long-term planning through the development of action plans; ideas for fundraising; examples of both community service-oriented and academic activities for councils to plan; and the importance of leadership skills (including communication, tolerance, initiative-taking, organization, and problem-solving skills, among many others).
The manual, which took nearly a year to compile and includes input from all of the project’s partners and stakeholders, is a true collaborative effort to creatively and informatively break down the formation of student councils into manageable steps for people (students, parents, school administrators, etc.) who seek to establish their own councils. It was published in October 2010 and will be distributed to students across Yemen. The manual will serve as a guiding reference tool for schools that did not receive direct CGE support but wish to participate in the program. The guide is designed to be adapted for use in other countries and provides a plethora of templates, success stories, and best practices for the benefit and inspiration of students.
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Building Bridges: Effective Post-Secondary Transitions for Girls in Developing Countries
Washington DC, June 16, 2010 - To advance awareness and understanding about the challenges of post-secondary transitions for girls in developing countries, AED recently hosted a forum and workshop on this issue at AED’s Globe Theatre in Washington D.C. The public forum, moderated by May Rihani, Senior Vice President of AED’s Global Learning Group, with welcoming remarks by Stephen Moseley and closing remarks by Her Excellency Hawa Olga Ndilowe, Ambassador of the Republic of Malawi to the United States of America, was attended by nearly 200 people. The panel addressed the challenges of creating more effective programs and policies to realize the full potential of adolescent girls in developing countries. Following the public forum, an intensive workshop was held with leading practitioners in the field of girls’ secondary education and school-to-work transitions. This PDF highlights the core themes, concepts, questions and pathways for progress that emerged from the workshop session. It is our hope that this booklet promotes a continuation of the dialogue among stakeholders concerned with education and securing brighter futures for adolescent girls in developing countries.
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In Recognition of International Women's Day
Washington DC, March 8, 2010 - Celebrated around the world each year on March 8th, International Women’s Day is a reminder to people worldwide to maintain a critical eye towards the important role gender can play in development of our societies. For AED, it was an opportunity to recognize how women can be the “Drivers of Change” in their households, communities, and economies. In recognition of International Women’s Day, this year, AED hosted a cross-sectoral panel discussion to discuss the role of women in the economy, in health, and in public service. After opening remarks from AED President & CEO Stephen Moseley who called on all employees to be “feminists,” Senior Vice President and Director, Global Learning Group, May Rihani spoke briefly about the importance of effectively engaging this half of the world’s population for more equitable, lasting positive outcomes.
The panelists included Carrie Keju, Senior Project Director on FIELD-Support within the Leadership and Institutional Development Group, whose provocative presentation challenged the development community to address the global gender gap and invest more in women and girls. “Girls generally get better grades,” she said, “and the increase in female employment in the rich world has been the main driving force of growth in the past couple of decades.” Women already account for half of the world’s output, she argued, and closing the gender gap would have huge economic implications for the developed economies—boosting Japanese GDP by 16%, the Eurozone by 13%, and US GDP by 9%. Carrie highlighted FIELD-Support’s work through the ARIES project in Afghanistan, USAID’s largest microfinance program ever in country. The $100 million initiative, which concluded in December 2009, was focused on improving access to rural financial services and by its end had disbursed over $126 million in loans— 49% of which went to women to expand their home-based income-generating activities.
Reminding us that “a woman with change in her pocket can afford to say ‘no’” and stand up for her rights, Carrie yielded the floor to Doyin Oluwole, Director of AED’s Africa’s Health in 2010 program in the Global Health, Population & Nutrition Group. Describing AED’s comprehensive approach to positively impacting women’s health around the world, Doyin laid out the three key interrelated components of this approach. The first is to tap into the power of women as drivers of change when implementing global health programs. She cited the example of Laos and Vietnam where a behavior change program is using women’s networks to encourage better farming and personal hygiene practices in order to prevent the spread of avian influenza. In the second component, AED is creating change in women’s health through programs to reduce maternal mortality rates through better access to information, medicines, and care, for example. By generating and disseminating information and tools about women’s health, AED is leading theway to better health, through target programs that are, for instance, introducing evidence-based practices for the active management of third stage of labor around the developing world.
Finally, Amy West, Director of the Women in Law Program (WILpower) within ITAC, the Global Learning Group, spoke about dramatic transformations taking place in the Middle East with the increasing involvement of women in public service. As a collaborative regional information and communication network for young legal practitioners in the Middle East and North Africa, WILpower brings together future and current women leaders through regional workshops, social networking, and peer-led trainings to give young women a better sense of what it means to be a leader and the often lonely road of getting there. Amy’s inspirational presentation included several anecdotes of WILpower supporters and participants who have broken the glass ceilings in their countries, such as
Amal Haddad, the first woman head of Beirut Bar Association; Tawakkol Abdel Salam Karman, President of Women Journalists Without Chains; Lubna Khalid Al Qasimi, the recently appointed Minister of Foreign Trade in the UAE; and Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa, a lawyer and diplomat from Bahrain who was the President of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly.
Following the presentations, several members of audience (which included about 75 AED employees and guests) joined the discussion to shed light on other critical issues facing women today, including “gendercide” or female infanticide, imprisonment of female activists, and the importance of engaging men in development programs that seek to empower women for more sustainable, lasting impacts.
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U.N. Podcast on Gender Equity Features AED's May Rihani
July 2010 - Making education relevant to students’ lives has been found to be a major component in helping them go further in school. This is especially true in the case of girls’ education in Africa and the Middle East. As such, many programs now are looking at not only educational opportunities for girls, but also how they translate into employment opportunities when girls finish school.
May Rihani, senior vice president and director of the AED Center for Gender Equity, spoke on this topic today in a podcast organized by the U.N., which is meant to spark an online discussion in advance of the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Follow the link below to listen to this podcast:
U.N. Podcast
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Briefing on the Hill: Addressing
Gender-Based Violence in the DRC
July 2010 - "Making Schools Safe: Addressing School Related Gender-Based Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo".
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 46% of school girls confirmed being victims of sexual harassment, abuse and violence from their teachers or school personnel (UNICEF, 2010). At the global level, between 12% and 25% of women experience sexual violence by husbands or male partners (UNIFEM, 2008). These startling statistics brought significant awareness to the issue of gender-based violence.
AED and Women Thrive Worldwide conducted a joint briefing on Capitol Hill, focusing on violence against girls and women. Panelists included Eugene Katzin, Project Director with AED, within the Center for Gender Equity, and Nora O’Connell, Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs at Women Thrive Worldwide. Eugene presented a case study about AED’s work in combating school-based gender-based violence in the DRC. Nora presented the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA).
May Rihani, Senior Vice President and Director of the Center for Gender Equity, was the moderator for the panel. Opening remarks were presented by Congressman Ted Poe and Congressman Earl Pomeroy.
The briefing was extremely successful, generating a productive question and answer period. Gender-based violence is a weapon of war. Changes cannot be implemented without awareness created by presentations such as this briefing. All panelists emphasized the contributing factor of unequal power dynamics between adults and children, as well as between girls and boys. Importance was placed on the necessity for schools to promote safety and equity, rather than violence. A holistic approach is required for the mitigation of gender-based violence.
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Al Waref Institute Distinguishes
May Rihani as Figure of the Month
Jennifer Young, Al Waref Institute, January 2010 - Al Waref recognizes May Rihani as the Figure of the Month for January because of her many contributions in the areas of educational and economic development, women’s rights and equity, and community building. Her work on the ground, research in the field, and written documentation and analysis of policy have made Ms Rihani a leader in civil society, working for change and inspiring action in others.
Born in Lebanon and raised in a family that valued equality, Ms Rihani has dedicated much of her life to expanding institutions to include once marginalized groups and creating opportunities for young men and women from a variety of backgrounds. She relates, "I grew up in Lebanon in a home where both mom and dad always valued serving others. I was privileged to be part of the family I was born to. The one unwavering value they taught us, by example and deeds and not necessarily by words, is that all human beings are equal regardless of economic background, race, religion, ethnicity, or gender. I believe this foundation is what propelled me into the work I do today." This work is part of a lifetime in which she has been dedicated to her own continued education and expanding the opportunities available to others.
By 1971 Ms Rihani had received her B.A. degree in Political Science and her M.A. in International Relations from the American University of Beirut. In more recent years, she continues to develop her mind and skills with courses on leadership and innovation from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This devotion to learning is a reflection of how much she values access, quality, and equality in the educational institutions of the world.
Since 1998, Ms Rihani has been the Senior Vice President of the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and is the Director of the Global Learning Group and the Center for Gender Equity. The projects she has managed and the documents she has written in analysis have added greatly to an international understanding of what is lacking in community and education and what can be done to strengthen societies and systems.
She has travelled extensively for decades, working in underserved parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, overseeing projects with a focus on gender issues, women's leadership, community mobilization, human resources, educational planning, and economic productivity. These projects include multidimensional cooperation with many layers of society including foreign aid groups, government ministries, local community leaders, long-term advisors, and researchers in a number of countries including Morocco, Malawi, Egypt, Jordan, Benin, Pakistan, and Uganda. Her projects include designing models for innovative schools in rural areas, integrating gender and environmental sensitive materials into curricula, and mobilizing stakeholders on the ground to focus on retention rates of students and the relationships between health, economy, and education.
When asked what fuels her energies she responded, "What inspires me is a vision of a world where there is more justice, more equality, less violence, and ideally--even though it might be close to impossible--no wars. This vision inspires me to work and write. Traveling is part of that vision given that I truly believe we are from the East and from the West, we are from the North and from the South. My vision is that one day the human race, us human beings, might accept the idea that nationalism is not important and universalism is what we should strive for." A strong dedication to these ideals of justice and equality can be seen in her writing.
Ms Rihani's written reflection and analysis allows for successful initiatives to affect change in other regions. To date, Ms Rihani has published three technical books entitled Keeping the Promise: Five Benefits of Girls' Secondary Education, Girls' Education Activity: Mali Strategy and Design, and Technical Assistance Program to Support Girls' Education Activity in Guinea. These works focus on the obstacles to equitable education and the potential solutions to these imbalances, which could allow for the emergence of societal reform and new opportunities for the community. At present she is working on essays in Arabic, which would relate similar ideas to a new audience.
This type of multilingual, cross-cultural, and interregional work contributes to Ms Rihani's successes in the field and view of the world. She says, "I do not like boundaries. I like for the East and the West to meet. I like bridges. I like belonging to different cultures. I like when a Moslem woman marries a Christian man, or a Christian woman marries a Moslem man, a Moslem man writes about the importance of Christianity in the Middle East, and a Christian woman writes about the importance of Buddhism in the world. I like to find the common grounds and I do not believe in the clash of civilizations....I know that the common ground among the different cultures is there. It would be great if we all work to discover it and celebrate it." This understanding of the world highlights Ms Rihani's tolerance for diversity and dedication to humanity.
The passion for tolerance and hope for change present in the words and actions of Ms Rihani can be seen in many aspects of her life. This includes the work she has done for several non-profit organizations and in her collaboration with USAID and the United Nations. It has been expressed in her writing, in Arabic and English, research literature and poetry. She has formed relationships between herself and a number of individuals working on all levels of a number of societies to promote exchange and contribute to a stronger world that can be influenced by the human initiative.
Ms Rihani believes in a world that values humanity above all else. This dedication to something better than what is has led Ms Rihani to devote her efforts and her attentions to work for change in a variety of ways while inspiring others to follow her example and strive for a more connected and more cooperative world. Al Waref Institute recognizes the important strides Ms Rihani has made of her own merit and through the encouragement and belief in others; and distinguishes her as the Figure of the Month.
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Kenya: Increasing Numbers of Girls Benefit from Educational Boost
Kathryn McConnell, AllAfrica.com, August 7, 2009—Increasing numbers of girls in Kenya are going to school, staying there longer and earning better grades due to the combined efforts of the U.S.-based nonprofit group Academy of Educational Development, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the government of Kenya and private donors.
The goal is to raise awareness about the importance of providing girls and boys equal access to education in Kenya so they will be able to earn a living. Educated girls are less likely to be teen mothers and are more likely to protect themselves against HIV and have healthier babies, according to May Rihani, AED senior vice president and director of its global learning group.
In Kenya, AED works with schools, community residents, parents and the ministries of education and of health to advance girls' education, Rihani said.
It works with children who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS and provides scholarships to help disadvantaged girls and boys enter secondary school, she said.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Kenya August 4-6 during the first leg of a seven-nation visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Her agenda includes topics such as girls' education, combating gender-based violence, trade, agricultural development, energy and good governance.
AED, which has worked in education in Kenya since 1980, provides professional development training for teachers and encourages women to become teachers, particularly in rural areas where they can be role models for girls. In 2005, the last year for which data are available, only 38 percent of secondary school teachers were women, Rihani said.
With funding from the General Electric Company, AED is working with 10 primary schools in the Kisumu region of southwest Kenya to create and strengthen parent-teacher associations, encourage women to take leadership roles in the associations, and motivate community residents to become involved with their schools.
AED also encourages parents to communicate with the school administrations so they are kept apprised of what their children are learning, said Andrea Bertone, director of AED's projects in Africa.
The parent-teacher associations in Kisumu, birthplace of President Obama's father, are discovering ways to encourage girls to stay in school, such as by creating school gardens where boys and girls learn to work together. The school associations then decide how to use proceeds from sales of garden produce, often choosing to purchase school uniforms and supplies. AED's aim is to build enthusiasm among parents so they will continue to be involved with schools after AED's involvement in the region ends, Bertone said.
An AED project in Kisumu links 550 girls with mentors who serve as trusted role models. Mentors, who include teachers and respected women in the community, help the girls develop the confidence to participate in class so they can do well and to develop the skills they need to make good life choices. With mentors, girls and boys learn to talk about such issues as gender-based violence, reproductive health, how to avoid contracting HIV, good nutrition and hygiene.
In Kisumu and throughout Kenya, AED also implements the USAID-funded U.S. Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship Program. The program covers school fees at the secondary level, addresses cultural barriers to schooling and promotes community awareness of the importance of girls' education to society, Rihani said.
The program has as a priority helping the most disadvantaged children in the community, particularly orphans, and those from large families that can't afford to send all their children to school, she said.
USAID implements the scholarship program in a total of 38 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa, USAID's Sharon Mangin Nwankwo said. In Kenya, USAID more than doubled its spending on girls' education between 2006 and 2009 to $11 million, she added.
The Kenyan government has been very supportive of AED's education efforts. It has eliminated school tuition fees at the primary level and boosted its spending on education, Rihani said.
Mangin Nwankwo said the government is giving special attention to "marginalized groups" in predominantly Muslim areas as well as to other groups like the seasonally migrating pastoralist communities in arid areas. Such groups generally do not have high rates of school enrollment for girls, who tend to marry early. Government financial assistance is limited because its resources are stretched thin by Kenya's population growth, she said.
USAID tries to help groups displaced by ethnic conflict or seasonal drought by setting up mobile education centers and training teachers from migrating communities so there are no time gaps in the education of these children.
The Best of 2008 in Education and Gender Equality
New York, N.Y., December 23, 2008—The United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) included AED's "Path to Promise: Girls Making the Grade" video in its top ten list of news stories, quotes, podcasts and other multi-media, related to education and gender equality in 2008. The video follows the lives of two Ugandan girls, Hoctavia and Ruth, who defy the odds and exercise their right to complete high school.
The Best of 2008 in education and gender equality also includes:
- Young Champions support girls education in Afghanistan
- Camfed founder receives Women of the Year award
- Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan visits a UNICEF-supported project in Brazil
- Beyond School Books-A podcast series on education in emergencies/Gender Equality
- Gender and Equity campaign shows success as more parents are putting girls through school
- Mira Nair film highlights plight of Ugandan children
- Norway contributes $159 million to UNICEF under new cooperation program
- First Lady of Nigeria launches the country's Girls' Education Initiative
- Breaking gender barriers: A young woman's quest in a male-dominated profession
Oslo Declaration Calls for Equity in Education
Oslo, Norway, December 16-18, 2008—During the 8th meeting of the High Level Group on Education For All, participating members formed the Oslo Declaration, which emphasizes the importance of gender equity in education and calls for "gender-sensitive targets to measure equity." It also makes reference to the importance of female teachers as the global community seeks to fill the teacher gap, and resulted in the development of an Action Plan on Teachers for EFA. May Rihani, AED Senior VP and director of the AED Center for Gender Equity, and co-chair of the UNGEI Global Advisory Committee, participated in the meeting.
A first in Vocational Training in Morocco: CGE helps develop two new tools to monitor agricultural vocational training graduates’ job entry and support new business creation
RABAT, July 28, 2008—The Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, with the support of USAID and facilitation of CGE’s ALEF project, has developed two new tools to enhance the employability of agricultural vocational training graduates by placing emphasis on post graduate support for job placement, new business creation and on monitoring graduates’ entry into the workforce.
The first tool is a computer application to monitor the job entry of agricultural graduates and support graduates’ efforts to enter the labor force. The application was developed by the Ministry and USAID on the basis of a concept agreed upon by officials in the central Ministry and at the level of regional training networks. This system captures graduate’s entry into the labor market in terms of employment, unemployment, job entry and positions held. This information can help inform and orient new graduates on employment opportunities by increasing their understanding of the employment market and conditions.
The second tool is an interactive guide and database on promising niches, to assist FPA graduates in setting up farming businesses. This valuable communication and information tool can be used to inform, orient, guide and support graduates with useful information on the sector, potential investment activities, project set up, funding opportunities, legal and regulatory aspects pertaining to the sector.
Following the official presentation of the tools, both the Ministry and Parliament decided to give priority to supporting these initiatives which will enable agricultural schools to contribute fully to the social and economic development of their sector.
This effort is also a very timely one as it bolsters the objectives set out by the MAROC VERT Plan (Green Morocco),recently launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and aimed at enhancing the performance of sub sectors that are both in competition with and supportive of Moroccan agriculture.
Two new skills-based training curricula on “Trade and Marketing of Agricultural Inputs” and “Managing Farming Businesses” have been developed by Vocational Training Institutes of the Ministry of agriculture with support provided by the USAID-sponsored ALEF project to aid in renovating vocational training in Morocco.
The development of these programs is original in several ways:
- This program is demand-driven, developed for and by professionals in the sector, ensuring a relevant training which greatly enhances opportunity for graduates’ successful job entry.
- The project has continuously focused on building capacity of the human resources charged with implementing the new program or designing new ones.
- It included the official integration of two programs developed by USAID in the areas of employability and entrepreneurship education.
The two curricula were produced in record time (8 months) and have been officially adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture with the decision to initiate full implementation of both programs in the upcoming academic year. This success was possible thanks to the high level of motivation, commitment and ongoing involvement of all stakeholders (Vocational Training Department, Ministry of Agriculture, training institution management and training teams along with agricultural sector professionals).
CGE Leader Tapped to Co-chair U.N. Team on Girls' Education
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 15, 2008—May Rihani, AED Senior Vice President and director of the AED Center for Gender Equity, was recently elected to be the co-chair of the Global Advisory Committee of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, or UNGEI.
UNGEI is an historical initiative that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched at the World Education Forum in Dakar (2000). The goal is to narrow the gender gap in primary and secondary education and to ensure that by 2015 all children complete primary schooling, with girls and boys having equal access to all levels of education. UNGEI operates at the country, regional, and global levels.
At the country level, UNGEI supports country-led development and seeks to influence decision-making and investments to ensure gender equity and equality in national education policies, plans and programs. At the global level, UNGEI operates through its Global Advisory Committee, which is composed of key partners around the world who share in the planning, decision-making, guidance and accountability of UNGEI.
- Girls face many barriers to remaining in schools, including:
- Opportunity Cost
- Child labor caused by high levels of poverty
- Cultural norms such as early marriages
- Family pressure to keep girls at home
- Schools located far from homes creating safety issues
- Educational infrastructure that is not girl friendly
- Gender bias within schools and classrooms
Rihani’s first initiative in her two-year term will be to work with an UNGEI sub working group to explore the active involvement of the private sector in UNGEI. Another area that she plans to focus on is women teachers.
“Positive role models, like teachers, are especially important to girls, who often have a very limited view of what their futures hold,” said Rihani. “By learning about what women have accomplished, girls understand that they can do more, and be more, as adults.”
