Project Context

Despite the progress registered in enhancing women’s economic participation into local and national development, women’s economic activity in the Arab region remains among the lowest globally, resulting in the highest dependency ratio. In Lebanon and Morocco, youth face major challenges accessing qualified jobs and are often pushed toward migration and emigration.

General Objective

The project “Promoting Women’s and Youth Participation in Local Development Processes” (WYD) aims to improve access for women and youth to local development services in selected regions of Lebanon and Morocco. This will be achieved by establishing Women and Youth Desks (WYDs) inspired by Italy’s ‘Paola Desk’ (Sportello Paola).

WYD Desk Features

• Training & Support: Business skills development and assistance for enterprise creation in emerging sectors.
• Conciliation: Flexible arrangements to balance family and training/work time.
• Promotion: Broad dissemination to ensure beneficiaries access services in sequence and according to needs.
• Mentoring: Peer exchange and network building among beneficiaries.
• Networking: Strategic connections with local institutions and development actors.

Target Groups

• Hundreds of women and youth in Hermel (Lebanon) and Tangiers (Morocco)
• 30 municipal employees, counselors, and local development actors
• Italian stakeholders benefiting from trans-Mediterranean cooperation

Expected Achievements

The project will establish two operational WYDs and implement a three-year plan including:

• Partner coordination and joint planning
• Fact-finding missions in Italy, Lebanon, and Morocco
• Needs assessment and toolkit development
• Training of trainers (ToT) in both target regions
• Delivery of WYD services: awareness campaigns, entrepreneurship training, support services
• Pilot activities and development of business plans

Project Duration

Start: March 1, 2010
End: November 30, 2013