Lebanese Republic
28 March 2024
Cooperation agreements between Safadi Foundation and 3 women's associations in Akkar
04 April 2018

Safadi Foundation signed cooperation agreements aiming to finance development projects in the field of aromatic plants with three women's associations in Akkar, as part of the "Women Active in Rural Economic Development - WARED" project. This project was implemented within the framework of AFKAR 3 program, funded by the European Union and managed by the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR). The agreements were concluded in cooperation with Kobayyat Municipality, the Municipalities Unions of Jerd al Kaytah and Al Jumeh.

Each of the associations "Kuny Enti" ("Atayeb al Ward" project), "Al Aamal al Ijtimaayi" ("Beit el Mouneh - Bezbina" project) and "Sayyidat Ain al Zahab "  ("Mathanatna" project), received  7,000 Euros, as a result of a competition process with 11 women's associations from the Akkar district, who submitted proposals, after attending trainings on how to write projects.

The agreements were signed at the Foundation headquarters in Tripoli by the Project Director of Safadi Foundation, Anwar Darnika, Fatima Hammoud from "Sayyidat Ain al Zahab ", Munahel Bitar from "Al Aamal al Ijtimaayi"  and Jamile Moussa from "Kuny Enti".

The three-month "Atayeb al Ward" project seeks to manufacture rose jam, chocolate stuffed with roses, and chocolate filled with reseda. The beneficiaries are the flower growers and their families, workers and women working in the manufacture and production of items related to this product, and workers in the production of rose water.

The production of pickles is the most important activity of the 5-month "Beit el Mouneh - Bezbina" project, which aims to increase the employment opportunities for 30 women in the town of Bezbina, the agricultural production of 3 farmers and the income of 30 families in the area.

"Mathanatna" project will focus, during five months, on the drying and packing of some herbs like thyme and wild thyme. The objective of the project is to increase the quality of these products, to strengthen the capacities of women and to ensure the benefit of 50 families, most of them farmers.

Participating NGOs requests were evaluated taking into consideration the project in many ways including community involvement, social diversity and preservation of the surrounding environment. The evaluation also focused on the management and implementation of the project in terms of sustainability, of the services it provides, and its long term cooperation with the municipality.

WARED project aims to enhance the role of women as effective agents in achieving sustainable and economic development in Akkar, to build their capacity in using modern technologies in the process of manufacturing traditional food products, as well as to diversify and increase the income of rural women in the aromatic plant sector.

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