The Lebanese American University founded in 1973 the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW). Its twenty-five year history is closely linked to that of the first women’s college in the Midlle East, the American Junior College for Women, which was established in 1924 by the Presbyterian Mission. The College, which educated Middle Eastern women for half a century, became coed the year the Institute was created and is now a full-fledged university, with three campuses in Lebanon, and an enrollment of over 4,000 students.
IWSAW’S OBJECTIVES:
- To enhance the Lebanese American University curricula.
- To engage in academic research on women in the Arab World
- To serve as a data bank and resource center on subjects pertaining to Arab women
- To serve as a catalyst for policy changes regarding the rights of women in the Arab world
- To facilitate networking and communications among individuals, groups and institutions concerned with Arab women.
IWSAW’S ACTIVITIES:
- IWSAW issues a quarterly Journal in English, AL RAIDA, which aims at:
- Disseminating information regarding the socioeconomic and legal conditions of women in the Arab world.
- Enhancing networking between Arab women and women in the rest of the world.
- Promoting communication among individuals, groups and institutions interested in Arab women issues.
ACTION PROGRAMSThe civil strife which ravaged Lebanon during seventeen years led to a huge displacement of the population, a rise in the number of women headed households and an increase in the feminization of poverty.
- In an attempt to partly remedy the situation, IWSAW developed a series of action programs, the most important among which are: Income Generating Activities, Rural Development Program, Basic Living Skills project.