Qudwa: Basic Living Skills Program
Qudwa, “role model” in Arabic, was developed in 1985. It is a non-formal integrated educational kit in Arabic, geared towards illiterate and semi-literate women in the Arab world, available in both hard copy and digitized form. Its users are social workers affiliated to non-governmental organizations, governmental institutions and international organizations involved in community development programs.
What is unique about Qudwa?
- Simple, innovative, comprehensive, self-explanatory and integrated learning material
- Tools to facilitate the learning process: illustrations, posters, colored pictures, games, documents and case studies
- Evaluation forms to assess the impact of the program on women’s lives and achievements
Objectives
- Strengthen the capacities of Arab women in an attempt to improve the quality of their lives and those of their families.
- Empower Arab women to make them active participants in the process of sustainable and equitable development.
Content
The program was fully updated in 2017-18 by experts in the field, to include new themes and up-to-date information. The themes Qudwa covers are:
- Human Rights & Gender Equality
- Health, Hygiene & Habits
- Humans & their Environment
- Nutrition
- Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights
- Child Development
- Civic Education & Community Building
- Livelihoods & Socio-Economic Empowerment
- Chronic Diseases
- Gender-Based Laws
- People with Special Needs
- Gender-Based Violence Prevention & Response
- Supporting Vulnerable Groups
- Women’s Political Participation
It also includes:
- A training guide for implementation including working with different groups (adolescent girls, men and boys, LGBTQ community, refugees).
- 3 DVDs comprising 8 films of women’s stories and one documentary that supplements other units
- 1 compact disc covering all the program material
Over the years, more than 60,000 women in Lebanon have benefited from the program and more than 10,000 women and men have been trained on its use and implementation. The program has been used continuously by several non-governmental organizations and it has been adopted by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) in all its centers in the different regions of Lebanon. Qudwa has also expanded to the Arab world (Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Palestine, Kuwait, and Yemen).