News >Access Alumni Empowering Underprivileged Women

Thanks to a grant from the Access Program (sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut), Access Alumni Nour Lakkis and Mada Yazbeck are currently implementing their project, “Women Entrepreneurship Hub,” which is aimed at providing entrepreneurship training sessions to 80 women from North Lebanon and Bekaa in order to empower them to start their own small businesses.  

Nour and Mada believe that they are fulfilling their civic duty through this project, especially given the current dire socio-economic conditions in Lebanon. Moreover, they add: “We ourselves are learning more and more by the day as we are  guided throughout our project’s phases by the Access provider, Teach For Lebanon.” 

The project’s beneficiaries – 80 aspiring women entrepreneurs – attended training sessions given by professional coach Maya El Tal on Friday, August 27. Exit surveys reflected the participants’ high levels of satisfaction with the training provided. Below are a few testimonials from attendees: 

Sonia Assaad, a mother of four: “My husband and I are exploring ways of doing business to raise income for our family. This gives me the right methodology to start my own project.” 

Tahani Ghamrawi, university student and Access alumna said: “I started a hand-made soap packaging business. My enrollment into the Women Entrepreneurship Hub program will prove very helpful at a time when I’m now expanding into making soap as well.” 

Fatima Al Zahabi: “I find value in the program answering my interest in social entrepreneurship.” 

Nour Abou Zeid: “Women Entrepreneurship Hub opens the way for me to tackle the object of my interest: projects of an innovation character.”

Both the new cultural attaché at the U.S. embassy, Ms. Hermila Yifter, and the embassy’s cultural affairs assistant, Ms. Edith Bitar, attended the two sessions to extend their welcome and encouragement to the participants. Teach For Lebanon Access program staff members were also in attendance.