AMMAN — Young people around the region can be a force for greater good or instability, and they need proper education and employment opportunities to assume their role as instigators of development, according to the head of a US NGO.

In a Nov. 16, 2012, speech, AMIDEAST President and CEO Theodore H. Kattouf underscored the vital role of education in ensuring a successful outcome of the revolutions in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. Addressing the joint annual benefit of the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) and Egyptians Abroad in Development (EAD) in Chicago, he said, “A bright future for the region is one in which its many young men and women are able to improve their life circumstances and realize their dreams of political and social inclusion. The region must create many more jobs, but it must also prepare youth to have English language, IT, and critical thinking skills required in a 21st century global economy that is increasingly knowledge-based and high tech.”

In a little over a year, the Arab Women's Entrepreneurship Project (AWEP) — an AMIDEAST partnership with Citi Foundation to expand opportunities for entrepreneurship training for women in the Arab world — completed a first round of training and recently launched a second one. In all, nearly 150 women from six countries — Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, the UAE, Egypt and Jordan — are participating in these initial efforts, which are being implemented with generous support from Citi Foundation.

Washington, DC/Dubai, UAE, October 9, 2012— AMIDEAST and Citi Foundation announced today the launch of the second phase of the Arab Women’s Entrepreneurship Project (AWEP) designed to empower women entrepreneurs across the MENA region, and provide them with the necessary tools for success and sustainability, hence integrating them into the global economy.

The project, which commenced in 2011 as a joint program between AMIDEAST and Citi, will be implemented in Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan during this second year. It is expected to benefit 80 women entrepreneurs from underserved backgrounds, at the rate of 20 per country.

AMIDEAST strongly condemns the offensive film that has inflamed passions across the Middle East and abhors, as do the vast majority of Americans, the hateful intentions behind it. Such actions must not be allowed to undermine the bonds of friendship that exist between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East. AMIDEAST likewise strongly condemns the senseless violence that caused the deaths this week of four American diplomats in Libya, who were there to assist the Libyan people rebuild their country. Peaceful demonstrations are a right, but there is no justification for violence.

Amman, Jordan, July 18, 2012―American and Jordanian students advanced their language skills and understanding of each others’ cultures during a day-long forum hosted today by AMIDEAST/Jordan. The high school students are participants in two U.S. Department of State-funded initiatives that encourage development of foreign language skills.

Some American students may have thought twice about travel and study in the Middle East or North Africa when the Arab Spring began sweeping across the region in 2011.  One year later, enrollments in AMIDEAST’s study abroad programs are up across the board, especially in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco, as young Americans seek out in-region opportunities to hone Arabic language skills and improve their understanding of the region’s dynamics.

In June, AMIDEAST formally inaugurated a new headquarters building for its operations in Jordan. The new facility, located in the fast-growing area of Wadi Abdoun, between East and West Amman, offers a modern, high-tech learning environment that will serve the country’s growing need for a broad range of educational and training services. 

AMIDEAST mourns the loss of Dr. Fahim Qubain, who passed away in April at the age of 88. Qubain will be long remembered as the founder of the Hope Fund, an organization that in one decade has made a made a life-changing difference for nearly 70 young Palestinian men and women from refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza.