Facilitating Leadership Training in times of Covid-19

elbarlament, together with our partner organisation Women Now for Development, has been working in Bekaa valley since 2018 in a capacity building project with Syrian – and since 2019 also Lebanese – women. Since the beginning of the lockdown, elbarlament and Women Now have kept the leadership training workshops going through online platforms, managing to keep the rate of the women’s participation at 90% or higher. 

We believe that continuous connection with our participants is creating a space for women to share their experiences and develop solidarity among each other. In addition, by encouraging regular exchanges and networking beyond the training workshops, we, together with the participants, are creating a safe space that they can reach out to if they need support. This kind of support is crucial, as demonstrated by a recent study by Women Now which highlights the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 crisis on women and adolescent girls in our target region Bekaa.

Despite all the challenges connected to long distance and unstable internet connection, we are committed to continuing our work in support of women in the Bekaa area, conducting online workshops and building and maintaining strong bridges with our participants. In the meantime, we are preparing for the time after Covid-19 when we will resume in-country activities with our trainers and participants, which after all, remain the most effective approach to supporting capacity development and facilitating networking and joint action. 

The project is supported by the ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) programme “zivik”, with funds from the German Federal Foreign Office.