Hope Fund Corporation Scholarships — West Bank/Gaza Sponsor: Hope Fund Corporation
Conducted recruitment, selection, and orientation for four Palestinian refugee students from the West Bank and Gaza to begin U.S. undergraduate study in fall 2008 at Bridgewater, Illinois, Manhattanville, and Roanoke Colleges. IDEAS Study Abroad in Morocco Sponsor: Norfolk State University
Developed and implemented a three-week Arabic immersion program in Morocco for 10 students from Howard, Norfolk State, and Old Dominion Universities. Arranged homestays, cultural tours, lectures, and language instruction in colloquial and Modern Standard Arabic.
Junior Iraqi Diplomats Sponsor: U.S. Department of State
Coordinated logistics and arranged supplemental programming for a two-week program in Washington, DC, for 15 junior-level diplomats from Iraq. Learn and Serve in Tunisia Sponsors: AMIDEAST, Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Training, Clemson University, University of Wyoming, U.S. Department of State
International Fellowships Program — Egypt and West Bank/Gaza
Provided 20 American undergraduates an opportunity to “learn” about Tunisia and then “serve” as English Language Cultural Fellows in summer camps for future Tunisian teachers of English.
Sponsors: Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program, International Fellowships Fund, Inc.
Legal and Business Fellowship Program (LBFP) — Regional
Handled promotion, selection, predeparture orientation, testing, and preacademic training for 25 Egyptian and 22 Palestinian students. Most students are from social groups and communities that lack systematic access to higher education. Iraqi Women’s Democracy Initiative Sponsor: U.S. Department of State, Office of International Women’s Issues
Provided support for U.S.-based programs that promote women’s full political and economic participation in Iraq. Iraqi Youth Leadership Exchange Program Sponsor: U.S. Department of State
Partnered with Sister Cities International, Legacy International, and iEARN to administer a monthlong leadership development and civic education program in the United States for 23 secondary school students from Iraq. Islam: Scholarship and Practice in the U.S. — Egypt and Jordan Sponsor: U.S. Department of State
In partnership with the Jordan Interfaith Coexistence Research Center, recruited and selected two
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interfaith leaders from the Boston, Massachusetts, area and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to participate in a two-week exploration of the place of religion — particularly Islam — in the Middle East.
Sponsor: U.S. Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)
Recruited 28 young women in business and law from across the Middle East and North Africa for a U.S.-based training program involving a one-month intensive executive education program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Law School or Wharton School followed by four-month fellowships with major U.S. corporations and top-tier law firms. AMIDEAST worked with local affiliates of the National Council for International Visitors to secure fellowship placements for each woman. Upon participants’ return home, AMIDEAST was responsible for reentry events and organizing alumnae activities. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Fellows Program Sponsor: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation
Provided administrative support for 49 Arab students awarded scholarships by the foundation to pursue master’s degrees in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Policy, and Finance at universities in the United States, Great Britain, Europe, and Australia.
Middle East Mosaics — Morocco Sponsor: Carleton College
Organized the Morocco component of a Middle East semester study tour for 35 students, including colloquial Arabic classes, lectures on Moroccan culture and history, homestays, and walking tours as well as cultural excursions to Fez, Marrakech, and the Atlas Mountains.
necticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina with the goals of improving their English, developing American students’ appreciation for and fluency in Arabic, and promoting partnership and cultural understanding between American and Egyptian teachers. Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship Program — Regional
Morocco Summer Program
Sponsor: U.S. Department of State
Sponsor: OneWorld Now!
Handled promotion, screening, interviews, preliminary selection, predeparture orientation, and final travel arrangements for three students from Egypt, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen to attend the American University of Beirut, American University in Cairo, and Lebanese American University. In all, 60 students from underserved backgrounds will be selected for this four-year undergraduate scholarship based on their academic and extra-curricular leadership qualities.
Developed an itinerary and implemented a threeweek program in Morocco for six Seattle high school students. Provided local program escort and arranged homestays, arrival orientation, site visits, Arabic language study, excursions, and community service. Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program — Egypt Sponsor: Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) Foundation
Provided scholarship selection, advising, placement, and monitoring services for 18 master’s and bachelor’s degree students from Egypt. Students were selected based on merit to study in fields that will enhance Egypt’s economic prosperity. Royal Palace of Jordan Scholarship Program Sponsor: The Royal Palace of Jordan
Supervised the U.S. study program of one undergraduate student. Provided placement and supervision for more than 270 students over the course of 31 years. Summer Study Abroad Program — Jordan
Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program — Regional Sponsor: U.S. Department of State
Worked in a consortium of eight NGOs headed by AYUSA International to administer a youth exchange program that brings students to the United States to live with American host families and attend high school for one year. In this sixth program year, AMIDEAST managed the recruitment and selection of 243 secondary school students from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen; provided predeparture orientation and logistical support for international travel; and supervised ongoing activities for alumni of the program’s previous years.
Sponsor: Brigham Young University
Institutional Development
Provided homestay placement and monitoring support for 46 students studying Arabic in Amman for the summer.
Administration of Justice Support II (AOJS II) Project — Egypt
Teachers of Critical Languages Program — Egypt Sponsor: U.S. Department of State
As a subcontractor to American Councils for International Education, recruited seven Egyptian teachers of English, Arabic, and English as a Foreign Language to spend 11 months teaching in U.S. primary and secondary schools in California, Con-
Sponsor: U.S. Agency for International Development
Launched in 2004, AOJS II builds on the court reform efforts of AOJS I to enhance Egypt’s Ministry of Justice’s capacity for improved analysis and decision making and to manage and support court reform, automation, and training activities nationwide. Continued to implement reforms in Courts of First Instance in Alexandria, Hurghada, Luxor, Ma-
halla, Mansoura, Marsa Matrouh, Qena, and Tanta in an effort to promote the transparent and timely administration of justice.
cation with an eye toward replication of the pilot on a broader scale within the Palestinian public school system.
Alternatives to Combat Child Labor through Education and Sustainable Services in the Middle East and North Africa (ACCESS-MENA) — Regional
National Capacity Development Program (TATWEER) — Iraq
Sponsors: U.S. Department of Labor, CHF International
As a subcontractor to MSI, monitored the academic progress of 121 Iraqis enrolled in Public Administration programs in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, and handled academic placement, testing, and incountry support for 113 others.
In the final year of this partnership with CHF International, AMIDEAST/Lebanon continued to disseminate information throughout the region on best practices in combating child labor; convened a regional conference on child labor and education in Cairo; published the project’s final newsletters; conducted a training workshop in Yemen and site visits in Yemen and Tunisia; and organized a concluding event in Lebanon that brought stakeholders together to build on the recommendations of the regional conference. American Scholarship Fund Program (ASFP) — West Bank/Gaza Sponsor: U.S. Agency for International Development
Administered the final phase of this short-term emergency project supporting K–12 private schools through tuition credits for more than 8,000 students in the Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho, and Gaza districts for the 2006–08 academic years. ASFP aimed to alleviate the economic burden of educational expenses for Palestinian families, thereby reducing withdrawals from schools due to financial hardship, providing stability for private schools in the West Bank and Gaza, and helping to maintain educational quality. Model Schools Network (MSN) Program — West Bank/Gaza Sponsor: U.S. Agency for International Development
Launched in fall 2007, this four-year basic education reform initiative aims to improve student learning outcomes in English, math, and science in grades 1–9. In 2008, MSN finalized the selection of pilot schools; completed student, teacher, and facilities needs assessments; launched an ongoing school improvement planning process; and engaged the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-
Sponsors: U.S. Agency for International Development, Management Systems International (MSI)
Palestinian Faculty Development Program (PFDP) — West Bank and Gaza Sponsors: U.S. Agency for International Development, Open Society Institute
Launched in 2005, the PFDP seeks to increase capacity in the Palestinian higher education sector by supporting the development of promising faculty and promoting an institutional culture of teaching and learning. During 2008, PFDP was expanded to include a faculty grants program, collaborative projects in teaching, and higher education management seminars at the Central European University in Budapest; 33 Ph.D. grantees continued their studies in the United States and one completed his program; and more than 350 Palestinian faculty benefited from activities in the West Bank and Gaza, including the annual Academic Colloquia, Seminars for Excellence in Teaching, and a faculty development workshop series. Palestinian Rule of Law (PROL) Program — West Bank/Gaza Sponsor: Open Society Institute
Handled promotion, selection, and predeparture testing and training for five PROL Fellows to pursue one year of study in the United States or Hungary leading to an LL.M. (Master of Law) degree, and of two nondegree law faculty to attend U.S. law schools on short-term fellowships designed to encourage pursuit of academic careers, generate new approaches to curricular and pedagogical reform in Palestinian law schools, and provide scholarly research opportunities. The program’s long-term goal is to train lawyers to have the skills to address rule of law issues in Palestine and increase capacity within the higher education legal sector.
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