AMIDEAST Today
At our field
offices across the Middle East and North Africa, staff
spent the summer months helping prepare hundreds of
young people for their upcoming U.S. study experiences.
As fall arrived, the organization began implementing
a number of new programs and gearing up to lead the
Administration of Justice Support II (AOJS II) project
in Egypt. We are delighted to continue the work that
we began under AOJS I, and we see this and other new
programs as important ways of furthering our mission
to strengthen inter-national understanding and cooperation.
— Theodore H. Kattouf
America-Mideast Educational and Training Services,
Inc. (AMIDEAST) is a private, nonprofit organization
that strengthens mutual understanding and cooperation
between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East
and North Africa. Every year, AMIDEAST provides English
language and professional skills training, educational
advising, and testing services to hundreds of thousands
of students and professionals in the Middle East and
North Africa; supports numerous institutional development
projects in the region; and administers educational
exchange programs. Founded in 1951, AMIDEAST is headquartered
in Washington, DC with a network of field offices in
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria,
Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen.
For further information contact:
Beth Daniel, External Affairs
AMIDEAST
1730 M Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036-4505
Phone: (202) 776-9621
Fax: (202) 776-7021
inquiries@amideast.org
www.amideast.org |
Sojourn in Morocco is the Trip of a Lifetime for American
Youth
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OneWorld
Now! participants enjoy tea in a bedouin tent. |
This past July, AMIDEAST partnered with
Seattle-based OneWorld Now! to provide a study abroad
opportunity in Morocco for eight adventurous high school
students. OneWorld Now!s two-year global leadership
program for high school juniors and seniors offers participants
opportunities for leadership development, language study,
summer activities, and internships. The organization
places a special emphasis on serving economically disadvantaged
youth.
The program in Morocco included Arabic
language study, daily excursions in Rabat to explore
sites and meet with people from varied walks of life,
opportunities to exchange ideas and perspectives with
Moroccan youth, community service projects, and a week-long
field trip around the country. One of the highlights
for all participants was their homestay with a Moroccan
family. The close connection I developed with my homestay
family is the most memorable part of my Morocco experience.
Their care and generosity touched me deeply, recalls
Adrienne, a program participant.
In addition to gaining a greater understanding
of Moroccan culture and society, the students returned
home with renewed self-confidence and a determination
to make a difference. All I know is that I feel like
a different person, declares Mike. I know I will be
choosing always to do new things if given the opportunity.
I will be choosing those options which will also support
other people. Mohamed agrees, adding, We realized
we are all from one world, and we need to meet and teach
about our cultures more so we can continue to break
down stereotypes about the Arab world and the United
States.
LINC Exchange Program
The U.S. Department of States Educational and Cultural
Affairs Bureau has awarded AMIDEAST and its subcontractor
AYUSA International a grant to conduct a new international
student exchange program slated for July 2005. Part
of the State Departments Partnerships for Learning
initiative, the Linking Individuals, Knowledge, and
Culture (LINC) Program promotes youth leadership, civic
action and community service as fundamental components
of a democratic society, and it also furthers cross-cultural
understanding. Participants will include eight Lebanese
and eight Tunisians who will visit the U.S., and sixteen
Americans who will travel to Lebanon and Tunisia. The
exchange program will begin with a leadership workshop
in Washington, DC for all participating students.
Microscholarships Provide Opportunities for Youth
in Underserved Communities
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Microscholarship
students in Tunisia enjoy a typical Thanksgiving
dinner hosted by AMIDEAST/Tunisia Director Lee
Jennings. |
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Microscholarship
recipients in Yemen are grateful for the opportunity
to learn English. |
High school students from underserved communities now
have the opportunity to learn English through the U.S.
Department of State-funded ACCESS microscholar-ship
program. Scholarships cover tuition for English language
training through AMIDEASTs own English language programs
or at partner institutions under AMIDEAST supervision.
The ACCESS microscholarships offer qualified young
people access to AMIDEASTs English language instruction
and computer training, as well as exposure to American
culture and public speaking. I thank you very much
for giving me this scholarship to learn English, wrote
Yasser, a Yemeni student, in a letter to U.S. Ambassador
Edmond Hull in Yemen and to Margaret Tutweiler, then
Undersecretary of State for Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
This is my big dream. Thank you. To date, more than
1,000 microscholarships have been awarded to students
in Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank/Gaza,
and Yemen.
Summer Camp for Kuwait Students
AMIDEAST was pleased to partner with the Global Language
Institute for the inaugural session of an educational
summer camp in Florida for Kuwaiti boys. ChevronTexaco
Corporation generously sponsored the camp, and significant
coordination efforts were made by the U.S. Embassy in
Kuwait and UNESCO.
Following an AMIDEAST-administered predeparture orientation
in Kuwait, ten boys between the ages of 12 and 16 traveled
to Florida last July to attend a four-week, specially
designed intensive English language camp hosted by the
Global Language Institute in West Palm Beach.In addition
to their language courses, participants enjoyed trips
to Disney World, Universal Studios, and Miami Beach,
as well as other outings and cultural activities. The
campers all reported a positive experience and appreciated
the opportunity to improve their English on this first-time
visit to the United States.
Thanks to last summers great success, ChevronTexaco
hopes to double the pro-grams size next time around
by adding a parallel camp session for Kuwaiti girls.
E-Learning in Yemen
After months of planning and preparatory efforts, AMIDEAST
has successfully launched the Yemen E-Learning Project
in selected Aden and Sanaa schools. Sponsored by the
Middle East Partnership Initiative of the U.S. Department
of State, the e-learning initiative is designed to equip
secondary schools throughout the country with Internet
capability.
Yahya Mohammed Al Shaaby, the governor of Aden, wrote
in a letter to Country Director Sabrina Faber, We really
appreciate the training and educational efforts that
AMIDEAST offers in Aden, and hope that the cooperation
continues between us. By this September, classrooms
in participating schools were renovated and equipped
with computers and appropriate software. AMIDEAST then
began basic training in computer use and Windows XP
for designated teachers at each school, who will in
turn incorporate this new knowledge into their respective
curricula.
Thanks to Major Contributors
In July, Lockheed Martin Corporation donated $20,000
in unrestricted funds that AMIDEAST will direct toward
areas of greatest need as it pursues its mission of
strengthening understanding and cooperation between
Americans and peoples of the Middle East and North Africa.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin
employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally
engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture
and integration of advanced technology systems, products,
and services.
Saudi Aramco, a longtime annual donor to AMIDEAST,
contributed $50,000 in 2004 toward the organizations
outreach efforts in the United States. The many activities
that this donation will help fund include continuing
work on AMIDEASTs website resource entitled Young Voices
from the Arab World, which will feature a Saudi teenager;
developing an Internet-based resource through which
American students can engage in a dialogue with Arab
youth; and helping precollege educators identify quality
resources about the Middle East/North Africa and about
Islam that are appropriate for classroom use. The world
leader in crude oil production, Saudi Aramco also owns
and operates an extensive network of refining and distribution
facilities, and is responsible for the gas processing
and transportation installations that fuel Saudi Arabias
industrial sector.
New Leadership in AMIDEAST Field
Offices
AMIDEAST is pleased to announce the appointments of
new leadership staff at several regional locations.
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Michael
Clark |
Michael Clark has led the AMIDEAST/ Jordan office in
Amman as country director since mid-May of 2004, succeeding
Kathy Sullivan in that position. His extensive service
with AMIDEAST began in 1997 with the Programs for Americans
division in Washington, DC. In 1999, he began his four-year
tenure as director of AMIDEASTs West Bank/Gaza office.
Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Clark undertook
the launching of AMIDEASTs new office in Iraq.
New to AMIDEAST, Nancy Weber-Curth has been appointed
as country director in Iraq. Ms. Weber-Curths professional
experience spans more than twenty years as a business
training consultant, senior sales representative, and
account executive. She possesses special expertise in
international training for business skills and technical
English, and has worked in the United States, Moscow,
Amman, and Baghdad. Her language skills include fluency
in Russian and working knowledge of Arabic, French,
Spanish, and Japanese.
 |
Joseph
Phillips |
Joseph Phillips began his tenure as AMIDEASTs country
director in Morocco in September, succeeding Acting
Country Director Stephen Hanchey. He was previously
employed by AMIDEAST as an English language instructor
in Tunisia and then as a program assistant on the Fulbright
Foreign Student Program at headquarters. He has also
worked as a technical consultant for the UNDP in Tunisia
and as a Senior Associate at the English Language Institute
at American University. Most recently, Mr. Phillips
led project work at the Grameen Foundation to expand
that organizations regional presence in the Middle
East and North Africa. He speaks Arabic, French, and
Spanish.
Dr. Donald Lazarus will be responsible for developing
projects and managing AMIDEAST activities in Qatar.
He brings a wealth of educational experiences to this
new position, including extensive work at the primary,
secondary, and postsecondary levels as a teacher, principal,
director, and adjunct professor in a variety of locations
in the U.S. and abroad. Last year, Dr. Lazarus helped
coordinate AMIDEASTs efforts in connection with the
ETS Writing Project that was implemented under the sponsorship
of Qatars Supreme Education Council.
AMIDEAST Awarded AOJS II Contract in Egypt
In August, the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) awarded AMIDEAST the five-year Administration
of Justice Support II (AOJS II) Project in Egypt. AMIDEAST
led the first iteration of AOJS from 19962004. Under
this new contract that spans the period 20042009, AMIDEAST
will continue to work with the Egyptian Ministry of
Justice to systemically evaluate and reform the civil
court system, reducing the cumbersome bureaucracy that
leads to case delay, overworked judges, and the slow
administration of justice for individuals and businesses.
The AOJS II project involves upgrading Egypts courts
technologically, increasing their transparency, improving
the skills of judges and court staff, building lawyer
confidence, and ensuring the fair and timely disposition
of cases. The project aims to strengthen the capacity
of the National Center for Judicial Studies, the Judicial
Information Center, and the Ministry of Justice through
training and continuing legal education.
The project team includes three implementing partnersAMIDEAST,
the National Center for State Courts, and Intercom Enterprises.
The teams six technical partners include Helmy, Hamza
& Partners/Baker & McKenzie; the Judicial, Education,
Reference, Information and Technical Transfer Project;
the U.S. Judicial Conferences Committee on International
Judicial Relations; the Alliance for Arab Women; the
American University in Cairo; and the American Manufacturers
Export Group.
MEET-U.S. to Train Business Leaders
AMIDEAST is pleased to announce its participation in
the Middle East Entrepreneur Training in the United
States (MEET-U.S.) Program. This initiative enables
Middle Eastern and North African entrepreneurs, senior
executives, and young managers to improve their entrepreneurial
and leadership skills to the benefit of their companies
and national economies.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of States Middle
East Partnership Initiative, MEET-U.S. will support
more than 200 professionals from 16 countries, with
particular emphasis on promising women candidates.
AMIDEAST and the Entrepreneurial Management Center
at San Diego State University (EMC-SDSU) are subcontractors
to the Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED) on
this project. AMIDEASTs role is to recruit, screen,
and provide predeparture orientations for program participants.
The two- and three-week U.S.-based programs, designed
and administered by FED and EMC-SDSU, will include advanced
business training, internships, and networking activities.
After returning to their home countries, participants
will attend alumni events in the region to reinforce
training, develop associations, and build networks.
A womens business networking conference will be held
in Tunisia to promote the development and expansion
of women-owned businesses in all participating countries.
Thank
You!
AMIDEAST thanks the following foundations, corporations,
and individuals for their gifts made in the period April
1, 2004September 30, 2004:
- Mr. Jean Abinader
- Mr. Michael M. Ameen
- Mrs. Mary Armstrong Amory
- Saudi Aramco
- Mrs. Betty Atherton
- Mr. Fawzi and Mrs. Christine Bayan
- Mr. Alfred J. Boulos
- Mr. Wilbur P. Chase
- Mr. Miner D. Crary, Jr.
- The Hon. Hermann F. Eilts
- Mr. Hasan M. El-Khatib
- Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Erskine
- Mrs. Elizabeth W. Fernea
- Mr. Antoine Frem/Interstate Resources
- The Hon. Edward Gabriel
- Mrs. Dorothy L. Gillespie
- Dr. Mary W. Gray
- Dr. Jonathan Hertz
- Dr. Paul Jabber
- The Hon. Theodore H. Kattouf
- Dr. Samir Khalaf
- Lockheed Martin Corporation
- The Hon. Nicholas M. Murphy
- H.H. Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayid Al-Nahyan
- Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip
- The Hon. Dwight J. Porter
- Embassy of Qatar
- Dr. Fahim I. Qubain
- Dr. & Mrs. Lachlan Reed
- The Hon. William A. Rugh
- Dr. Yunis M. Saeed
- H.E. Leila Abdul Hamid Sharaf
- Mrs. Louise C. Spray
- Mr. Jack Tymann
- Dr. Mary W. Gray, Chair
- The Hon. Theodore H. Kattouf, President
- The Hon. Nicholas A. Veliotes, Vice Chair
- The Hon. Robert S. Dillon, Treasurer
- Dr. Odeh Aburdene
- Ms. Amal Alayan
- H.E. Kutayba Yusuf Alghanim
- Mrs. Betty W. Atherton
- Mr. Alfred J. Boulos
- Mr. Curtis Brand
- Dr. Sherrill Cleland
- Mr. Hasan M. El-Khatib
- Prof. Emerita Elizabeth W. Fernea
- Mr. Antoine N. Frem
- The Hon. Edward M. Gabriel
- H.E. Ashraf Ghorbal*
- Mr. James Q. Griffin
- Mrs. Doris C. Halaby
- Dr. Alan W. Horton*
- Dr. Paul Jabber
- Dr. Raymond Jallow
- Dr. Samir Khalaf
- Dr. Mary E. King
- Mr. D. Patrick Maley III
- The Hon. William A. Rugh
- Mr. Frederick C. Seibold, Jr.
- H.E. Leila Abdul Hamid Sharaf
- Mr. Jack Tymann
* Emeritus
Fall 2004. AMIDEAST Today is written and produced by
the External Affairs Department.
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