Young women enjoy RUWAD's training programs (left),
led by Afifa Arsanios, GFW advisor and Nazha Sadek,
RUWAD president (right).

Turkey

I returned to Turkey for the Global Fund with Board Chair, Jacqueline Pitanguy, who brought her wise and extensive experience using popular organizing strategies in Brazil. We visited with groups in Istanbul and Diyarbakir. Located on the Tigris River, Diyarbakir is a 4,000-year-old city. In 2003, we only met with five women's groups there, and this time we met with 26! They work on a wide range of issues since women in this post-conflict region face many challenges, including forced migration from rural villages to urban areas, domestic violence, and honor killings. In fact, every single group we met addressed honor killings, when a male family member kills a woman who is suspected of sexual indiscretion. One of the boldest groups we have supported is KA-MER, a well-known Kurdish women's group that just launched a national campaign against honor killings with the slogan, "Don't be blind to murder done in the name of honor."

—Annie Hillar

Morocco We were so excited to meet with many of the women activists, who, for 30 years, have played a key role in advocating and significantly changing several laws that discriminated against women: the Penal Code and a labor law in 2003, and the Family Code in 2004. One of the 34 very dedicated women's rights groups we met with is led by young women in a poor area of Marrakech. Association El Amane provides legal and psychological assistance to illiterate and semi-literate women, undocumented women and abuse survivors as well as girls vulnerable to trafficking, such as maids. The association trains women in the rural and urban areas around the city to understand their rights under the revised Family Code. —Nicky McIntyre

Lawyers of the Democratic League for Women's Rights in Ourzazate, Morocco.

Palestinian refugees in Amman run a wide range of programs, which engage and promote Palestinian women's entrepreneurialism and self-esteem.

Palestine and Israel

During our meetings with more than 50 women's organizations, we heard over and over that "conflict affects women first and women worst." Women in Israel expressed concern about the effects of living and raising families in a militarized society, and the shifting values and policies that impact their lives. Jewish women are organizing in new ways to address the consequences of globalization, unemployment and poverty. Palestinian women in Israel are developing independent and joint initiatives that challenge both religious and cultural restrictions in their own community, as well as the historic power and resource imbalance between Jews and Arabs in Israel. Women in Palestine have been promoting legislation that will adopt a quota to guarantee women positions in the Palestinian parliament. Yet most of their energies are devoted to resisting and challenging the apartheid wall and the other daily consequences of living under occupation.

—Terry Greenblatt

Yemen Our team had the unique opportunity to visit one of the poorest countries in the region, Yemen. Since 1994, women's role and status in society has diminished with the dominance of a conservative and authoritarian government and the rise of fundamentalist interpretations of religious texts. Once judges and lawyers, today, women in Yemen endure high rates of unemployment and illiteracy. One example of the 17 wonderful organizations we met with is the Women's Forum for Research and Training, which is advocating for women's rights on the policy level, while working diligently at the grassroots to empower local women and women's organizations. —Zeina Zaatari

Elaine Nonneman near the Al Qahira Castle that towers over hillside communities in Yemen.

A member of the Fourzal women's cooperative, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Lebanon

In beautiful, mountainous Northern Lebanon, we visited three women's cooperatives. One of them was the Fourzal Cooperative. The 13 members of Fourzal work from May to November, if there is enough production. The women buy produce from local farmers, which they process into preserved pumpkin and oranges, pickled vegetables and eggplant jam. In their village of 4,000 people, this small rural cooperative allows a few families additional income for part of the year, money that might be used for a doctor's visit for a mother or infant. In a region with less than 13% permanent employment, every contribution is vital. After processing the fruit, the cooperative members sell the jams and pickled vegetables locally and in Beirut. Marketing is the greatest challenge to all three of the cooperatives we visited. Finding distributors requires skills, funds, and time, none of which are as abundant as the produce.

—Leanne Grossman

The Dream Girls project of the Association for Enhancement and Development of Women in Cairo educates low-income girls.

Egypt

As soon as we arrived in Cairo, we were swept off to visit some of ADEW's (Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women) successful projects. Led by Iman Bibars, Global Fund Advisor and ADEW Chair, the organization offers literacy classes, health services and legal awareness workshops to empower female heads of households, and educate girls. Our first stop was ADEW's Dream Girls project, where we were uplifted by the teen girls' optimism and intelligence. Then we visited a women's cooperative that enables single mothers to start businesses. Their collective interdependence boosts economic independence. We then held our Board meeting with 100% Board attendance where discussions focused on strategic priorities for women in the MENA regions. To close, ADEW held a press conference with dozens of representatives from the Egyptian radio, TV and print media, where we emphasized the urgent need to advance women's rights. The Global Fund expresses our deep gratitude to ADEW for hosting the entire delegation in Cairo.

—Kavita Ramdas

MIDDLE EAST TRAVELERS