ISF Closing Ceremony
Our Team
Noor Hoteit- Competition Winner
Remembering Mona Chemali Khalaf
The Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World honored and remembered its former Director, Mona Chemali Khalaf, in an event held on Thursday, January 25, 2018. Ms. Khalaf was the director of IWSAW from 1997 until 2005. She was an advocate for women empowerment, a founding foremother and a distinguished professor at the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB). Over a hundred people gathered to remember her.
“As we continue to champion the cause that was so dear to Mona Khalaf’s heart, we recognize that each accomplishment builds on those of our founding foremothers,” said Lina Abirafeh, IWSAW Director. “Everything we have achieved until today at LAU and IWSAW is thanks to the efforts of our founding foremothers.”
At the event, people shared fond memories of Khalaf, including this powerful quote: “Once having started, however, no matter how scared we get, how dangerous it becomes, we are not allowed to turn back.”
IWSAW bids farewell to its former director Mona Chemali Khalaf, an accomplished academic and a women’s rights advocate who was a pillar in the women’s rights community.”
Remembering Mona Chemali Khalaf
Director’s Update: February 2018
February is a short month, but we still managed to get quite a bit done.
We organized:
- A new rollout of our BLSP training, with sessions in Bhersaf, Sefray, Kferhay, Ksarnaba, and other villages in Lebanon. SOS social workers gave sessions to SOS mothers and adolescent girls from each community.
- A joint event between IWSAW and the Department of Social Sciences called “State Feminism or the Instrumentalization of Women’s Rights: Women and Political Representation after the Arab Uprisings” by Dr Rola El Husseini.
- A Food4Thought featuring the students of the winning submission of the 16 Days of Activism Arts Competition. The winning entry, “Misplaced Guilt”, was created by LAU Byblos students, where the event took place.
We screened:
- The movie Nour, in collaboration with the Alumni Relations Office, in the presence of the movie director, Khalil Dreyfus Zaarour. The feature film discusses forced child marriage, and is based on the real life experiences of several girls.
We participated in:
- The IDB Prize for Women’s Contribution to Development devoted to promoting peace and stability. Our Director served as a member on the Selection Committee for identifying the 2018 winners. The deliberation took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
We attended:
- The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) roundtable discussion on the participation of women in political life, with women representatives from different political parties.
- A three-day workshop entitled “Lobbying, Advocacy & Campaigning Techniques”, as part of the Direct Action for Women: Reform, Inclusion and Confidence (DAWRIC) project.
- A full-day M&E training, conducted by conducted by BALADI CAP, entitled “Results Framework & Logical Framework.”
- A discussion entitled “The Way Forward on Building Strong Advocacy Networks”, organized by BALADI CAP. The objective of the discussion was to identify innovative approaches to network building, based on lessons learned.
