Academic activities

Deadline: 15 March 2016

The U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Program seeks single-country proposals for its Local Grants Program. The Local Grants Program serves as a MEPI’s most direct means of supporting organizations and individuals in the Middle East and North Africa.

MEPI supports citizens’ efforts aimed at economic, social, a nd political empowerment; expanding opportunities for women and youth; and helping communities create positive change. MEPI Local Grants promote greater freedom and opportunity for people in the region.

Eligible Countries

Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the West Bank or Gaza, and Yemen

Areas of Interest

Strengthen civil society
Support constructive advocacy and civic activism
Support citizens’ efforts to contribute to positive economic, social, and political empowerment
Expand opportunities for women and youth
Strengthen the rule of law
Develop independent media in service to communities
Help communities work alongside governments in shaping their own futures
Award Information

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement, Grant or Fixed Award
Maximum Award Amount: $150,000
Minimum Award Amount: $50,000
Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants include local organizations of civil society, non-profit organizations, community groups, non-governmental organizations, professional associations, private sector organizations, and universities based in above mentioned countries.
Any organization with a headquarters office located outside of these countries cannot apply to this program.
MEPI welcomes proposals irrespective of the applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
MEPI invite applications from organizations working 3 with vulnerable communities, including women and youth.
How to Apply

Applicants interested in MEPI Local Grants funding must complete and submit the following four documents:
Application for Federal Assistance Form (SF-424)
Project Narrative
Budget Narrative
Budget Information Forms (SF-424a)
All submissions must include these components, and must be submitted in English.
For more information, please visit the Local Grant Programme.

A YOUNG man went to APPLY for a MANAGERIAL POSITION in a BIG COMPANY .

He PASSED the INITIAL INTERVIEW , and would now meet the DIRECTOR for the final interview.

The director REALIZED from his CV that the youth’s academic ACHIEVEMENTS were EXCELLENT .

He asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?”
The youth answered “no”.

”Was it your father who paid for your school fees?”

“My father PASSED ON when I was one year old,..it was my MOTHER who PAID for my school fees.” he responded.

”Where did your mother work?”

“My MOTHER WORKED as a Mama Fua” (clothes CLEANER)

The director requested the youth to show his hands.
The youth showed a pair of hands that were SMOOTH and PERFECT .

”Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?”

“Never, my MOTHER ALWAYS wanted me to STUDY and read more books.
Besides, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”

The director said;
“I have a request.
When you GO HOME today, go and CLEAN your MOTHER’S HANDS , and then see me tomorrow morning.”

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high.

When he went back home he asked his mother to let him clean her hands.

His mother felt strange;.. happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her son.

The youth CLEANED his MOTHER’S HANDS slowly.

His TEARS fell as he did that.
It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so WRINKLED, and there were so many BRUISES in her hands.

Some BRUISES were so PAINFUL that his mother winked when he touched it.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him pay school fees.

The BRUISES in the mother’s hands were the PRICE that the mother had to PAY for his EDUCATION, his school activities and his future.

After cleaning his mother hands, the YOUTH quietly WASHED ALL the remaining CLOTHES for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a veeeeery long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director’s office.

The Director noticed the TEARS in the youth’s EYES.
when he asked;
“Can you tell me what you did and learnt yesterday?”

The youth answered;
“I CLEANED my MOTHER’S HAND and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes,” “I now KNOW what APPRECIATION IS.”

“Without my mother, I would not be who I am today.”

“By helping my mother, only now do I realize how difficult and tough it is to get
something done on your own”

The director said, “This is WHAT I am LOOKING FOR in a manager.

“I want to recruit a PERSON who can APPRECIATE the HELP of others.”

“A person who KNOWS the SUFFERINGS of OTHERS to get things done, and
A person who would not put MONEY as his ONLY GOAL in LIFE.”

“YOU are HIRED.”

This young person worked very hard, and EARNED the RESPECT of his subordinates.

Every employee worked diligently and worked as a team.

The company’s PERFORMANCE
IMPROVED tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would DEVELOP an “ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY” and would always put HIMSELF FIRST .
He would be IGNORANT of his PARENT’S EFFORTS .

When he starts work, he ASSUMES that every person MUST listen to HIM , and when he BECOMES a manager, he would NEVER KNOW the SUFFERINGS of his EMPLOYEES and would always BLAME OTHERS .

You can let your child live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV etcetera.

But when you are pruning grass, please let them experience it.

After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters.

it is not because you do not have money to hire a house help, but BECAUSE you want to LOVE them the RIGHT WAY .

You want them to UNDERSTAND that no matter how rich their parents are, ONE DAY their HAIR will grow GRAY ,
same as the mother of that young fella.

The most IMPORTANT thing is that your child LEARNS how to APPRECIATE the EFFORT and experience the DIFFICULTY and LEARN the ABILITY to work with others to get things done

I long for the days that we had Rev Timothy Njoya, Bishop Henry Okullu, Rev David Gitari, Alexander Muge, Ndingi Mwana’a Nzeki in the 1990s. Though I was barely in my teens, their strong voices against social injustices Kenyans faced then still echoes loudly in my ears. These men of the cloth commanded great respect and were a powerful force in guiding the society. Unfortunately, the church lost that position particularly during the 2007/8 post-election violence.
The voice of the church leadership is no longer heard in taking a position on key issues affecting society and the church has become a peripheral player at best when major national matters are being debated.
But now what kind of church leaders do we have? What lessons can they learn from the Pope?
Pope Francis’ visit to Kenya gives me a beacon of hope that not all is lost. He indeed is leading by example. The Pope poignantly pointed out the injustices and deprivations that flow from the unfair capitalist system that exists in many countries with Kenya as a prime example.
More than 60 per cent of residents of Nairobi, for instance, live on less than 5 per cent of the available land. This is unjust and unacceptable. The strong message on the ills of corruption and ethnic exclusion must be embraced if Kenya is to prosper.
Its time for the Church to wake up and take the lead in denouncing injustices as they occur!