Project Duration: Three Years
Start/End Date: October 1, 2008-September 30, 2010 

The MENA Peace Scholarships Program is helping to foster a new generation of leaders in the Middle East and North Africa by developing leadership skills, US linkages, and academic excellence in the youth of the region.  The program works with institutions in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Yemen, West Bank, and Gaza to recruit participants, then provides those participants with one year of non-degree, undergraduate study at state universities in the US.  Leadership training, community service, family home-stays, regional networking, and other skill-building opportunities in the region and the US help provide these future leaders with the potential to contribute to the social and economic development of the region.

In May 2009, twenty-one Peace Scholars completed the program and returned home to work for a variety of organizations implementing positive changes since their return. Twenty-six Peace Scholars return home in Spring 2010. 

Partnering Organization(s) :
USAID/Office of Middle East Programs;
World Learning (USA);
Institute for International Education (Egypt);
The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development;
Women in Information Technology (Lebanon);
Moroccan Education and Resource Network;
Ibdaa Cultural Center (West Bank & Gaza);
Society for the Development of Women & Children (Yemen)

USAID, Office of Middle East Programs
Cairo, Egypt
jwright@usaid.gov
www.usaid.gov
Tel: 202 522-6846
Fax: 202 522 7041
James Wright, Deputy Director
Description: 
The United States has long supported a prosperous, stable and democratic Middle East and North Africa. The government of the United States is committed to helping develop a region that is at peace and that actively participates in the free exchange of ideas, goods and services.
Created in 2005, USAID’s Office of Middle East Programs, located in Cairo, Egypt, the administrator of the MENA Peace Scholarships Program, carries out programs to address regional and cross-border issues in USAID’s presence countries. It also serves as a regional hub, providing technical assistance to client USAID missions in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The Office of Middle East Programs focuses on three priority areas:
·         Creating a Culture of Democracy
·         Empowering Youth
·        Transforming the Culture and Governance of Water
Most of the programs are strengthened by partnerships with businesses and local organizations that bring additional expertise and resources. 
 
World Learning
Washington, DC, USA
indre.biskis@worldlearning.org www.worldlearning.org
Tel: 202 408-5420
Fax: 202 408-5397
Indre Biskis, Senior Program Officer
 
World Learning works globally to enhance the capacity and commitment of individuals, institutions and communities to create a more peaceful and just world. In over 75 countries, World Learning runs education, training and exchange programs that bridge cultures and transforms lives. Each program helps people gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their society, and the world.
World Learning International Development Programs focus on a single purpose: to bridge the gap between the desire for human development and the ability to achieve that goal. Programs in more than 20 countries work to enhance the capacity of individuals, communities, and institutions to take ownership of their own development, secure just and effective policies and structures, and create sustainable positive change.
 
World Learning is the prime contractor for the MENA Peace Scholarships Program, conducting all US-based placement, monitoring, program administration, and compliance with USAID regulations, as well as organizing the Washington, DC, re-entry workshop. 
 
Institute for International Education
Cairo, Egypt
ybendary@iie-egypt.org
www.iie.org
Tel: 20-2 2524-2172
Fax: 0020-2 2524-2175
Yasmine ElBendary, Program Manager
 
Founded in 1919, the Institute of International Education (IIE) is one of the world’s most experienced higher education and exchange organizations. The heart of IIE’s mission is to develop international leaders who are able to think, work, and solve problems on a global, intercultural basis. IIE has a strong commitment to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. With the generous support of sponsors and donors, IIE programs in the region aim to improve understanding between the United States and MENA countries, develop leadership in the region, and build capacity among individuals and institutions to address global challenges. Approximately one-third of the 20,000 participants in IIE programs each year come from MENA countries and this number is growing.
 
World Learning has subcontracted the
Institute of International Education (IIE) for the region-wide student outreach, recruitment, selection and alumni activities as well as the leadership development components of the project that include the one month Pre-departure Orientation and Leadership Program in Cairo managed by the IIE MENA Office and a mid-year Leadership Institute managed by IIE Denver.
 
The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development; Women in Information Technology (Lebanon); Moroccan Education and Resource Network; Ibdaa Cultural Center (West Bank & Gaza); Society for the Development of Women & Children (Yemen) and others were the MENA Region country partners and nominating organizations, assisting in participant recruitment and selection. 
 

Project Mission: To foster the development of a new generation of leaders in the Middle East and North Africa
Project Objective(s): Develop bridges between MENA countries and the US; promote academic excellence, and leadership skills

Target group(s): Youth of the MENA region 
Geographical scope(s) of project: The Middle East and North Africa Region
Countries involved: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Yemen, West Bank and Gaza and the United States of America.

One page summary: Attached

US involvement/contribution within the project : Implemented by World Learning in partnership with Institute for International Education. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with host university cost shares from the University of Arizona, Colorado State University, University of Michigan, University of Utah, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Rochester Institute of Technology.   

Achievements/progress to date:
45 partnerships have been forged between the US and the MENA region’s educational institutions, community organizations, and businesses
 
An estimated 35,000 people have been exposed to articles published in the US featuring Peace Scholars and their work
 
Peace Scholars affected an estimated 22,000 people by working with US communities, universities, friendship families, and local businesses
 
Ninety five percent of the program’s alumni are making presentations or planning projects to pass onto their communities the knowledge they gained during the program
 
Eighty five percent of the Peace Scholars have maintained ties with US organizations where they volunteered, friends and professors they met at their host universities, and host families with whom they lived and spent holidays
 
The scholars communicate regularly on a social networking site specifically developed for the Peace Scholarships Program

Contact person for the project :
Indre Biskis
Indre.biskis@worldlearning.org
World Learning
1015 15th Street NW
Washington DC, 20005
Tel: (202) 408-5420
Fax: (202) 408-5397
www.worldlearning.org