http://pcdd.org

To empower women through community action and engagement in public life after they were accused of being out of touch with political realities

To enhance collaboration between women and the municipality council
To promote gender issues and problems within the municipality
To increase women's chances in winning future elections

The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) funded the "Eye on my Municipality" project. Through our efforts, we wanted women to overcome challenges they faced in the public sphere by putting them in direct contact with their local communities.
From February 2011 to April 2012, PCDD conducted a series of workshops in all five governorates: North Lebanon, South Lebanon, Bekaa Valley, Mount Lebanon and Beirut, on the role of the municipality, corruption, and advocacy.

With PCDD's support, all 75 women participants were pioneers in creating the first scientific instrument to measure corruption in their municipality.

After the workshops, the participants motivated over 2000 students to develop a vision for their municipality by organizing a competition among their schools on what they would do if they were head of their municipality.

On their own, the women mobilized 250 Lebanese citizens, of which more men than women, to attend conferences and roundtables on gender equality and women's health in their communities, thereby breaking social and cultural barriers with the skills they gained from our training sessions.

The women were finally courageous enough to face their heads of municipality and hold them accountable by reporting cases of corruption in their e-newsletter.

The project supported these Lebanese women to overcome the patriarchal societal structure that restricted the participation of women in the public sphere by gaining the courage and self-confidence to take action.