Category Archives: Middle East
USAID Helps Palestinian Olive Farmers Improve Harvests of “Liquid Gold”
During my recent visit to Jenin, in the northern West Bank, I had the chance to visit the Canaan Fair Trade Company. With USAID assistance, Canaan is helping Palestinian growers increase their yields and tap into the rapidly growing global market in organic, fair trade products. The projects I saw showed how relatively modest investments [...]
On the Road Again: USAID’s Mobile Medical Teams Resume Serving Yemen’s Marginalized People
During my recent visit to Yemen I had the opportunity to view many of the ways in which USAID is supporting development in the country. I was particularly impressed by USAID’s successful effort to provide local communities with basic medical services. Yemen faces many challenges, but few are as daunting as providing medical care to [...]
Standing with the Egyptian People at an Historical Moment
I recently returned from a trip to Cairo and Sohag, a town in rural “Upper Egypt” along the Nile. I have traveled to Egypt before, but this time my visit fell during the lead-up to the first-round of Egypt’s historic parliamentary elections and fresh tensions and unrest in Tahrir Square. The air was electric, and [...]
USAID Peace Scholar Speaks in the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
I have just returned to Cairo after a life-changing week I spent in New York City. During which I participated in the Clinton Global Initiative as a youth guest speaker. I spoke in a panel with President Clinton and other renowned world leaders, met with Dr. Rajiv Shah –I have to admit that his age [...]
Young People in Benghazi Prepare to Take the Lead on Human Rights in a Democratic Libya
“When I was four, the government took my father,” said nineteen-year-old Aliya El-Sharif. Speaking for the first time in public about how her father was killed along with more than 1,200 other detainees, according to Human Rights Watch, during the 1996 Abu Salim prison massacre in Tripoli. The massacre stands as one of the more [...]
The Role of Honor Related Violence in Sex Trafficking
In many societies, maintaining family and personal honor is integral to upholding cultural norms. The burden of upholding such honor codes weighs more heavily on women and girls. In countries such as Iraq, programs designed to combat human trafficking must address severe cultural stigmas about honor in conjunction with protection and prosecution efforts. Vian* was [...]
Inspiring Youth in Jordan
Like so many young people in Jordan and around the world, Murad Al Zaghal was in need of opportunities to express his creative voice in a positive, meaningful way that contributed to his personal growth. Through his participation in the USAID-sponsored International Youth Day 2011, 19-year-old Murad got a much-needed boost to his confidence in [...]
Facebook Activism Inspires West Bank Youth
Youth in the West Bank town of Burqa are using Facebook to motivate a new generation of civic activism for the health of the community. Ameena Abu Odeh, a 17-year-old from the West Bank town of Burqa, is a typical teenager. An avid ‘Facebooker,’ she was surprised to see a flurry of health activism related [...]
From the Field
In Lebanon, USAID will inaugurate a new youth soccer facility created through its Municipal Capacity Building and Service Delivery Program. The inauguration ceremony for the new youth mini-soccer court will be held in Jdeydet Al-Aytaa in Akkar, North Lebanon. Funded by USAID, this initiative created several local jobs and is expected to generate over $9,500 [...]
