The FINANCIAL -- During an event held under the
High Patronage Of the Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Najib Mikati, MasterCard Worldwide today announced that the Company is teaming up with INJAZ
Al-Arab, a non-profit organization in the Middle East.
INJAZ Al-Arab, member of Junior Achievement Worldwide collaborates with corporate volunteers and Ministries of Education to provide experiential education and training to Arab youth in work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. MasterCard will support INJAZ Al-Arab’s It’s My Business, a leading entrepreneurial mentorship program developed for youth in Lebanon and countries across Middle East and North Africa.
According to MasterCard , the announcement was made at an event, which MasterCard and INJAZ Al-Arab held at the InterContinental Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut, marked by the attendance of H.E. Mr. Walid Daouk, Minister of Information, Lebanon, as well as, Soraya Salti, INJAZ Al-Arab Regional Director and Junior Achievement Senior Vice President, Middle East and North Africa, Patricia Devereux, group head, Corporate Philanthropy and Citizenship, Michael Miebach, president, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide, Basel El Tell, vice president and regional manager, Levant, MasterCard Worldwide.
MasterCard’s support to INJAZ Al Arab’s entrepreneurship program is rooted in the company’s long standing commitment towards Lebanon and the Middle East and Africa region. MasterCard is committed to furthering financial inclusion through the power of entrepreneurship as this increases the prosperity of communities and ensures that people have an opportunity to achieve their full potential.
The It’s My Business program is centered around an entrepreneurship curriculum for middle school students with a strong focus on social studies, reading and writing skills. MasterCard ’s support towards INJAZ Al-Arab is closely connected with the Company’s global collaboration with Junior Achievement.
INJAZ Al-Arab brought together regional experts in education, business, as well as representatives from its Member Nations to develop content and produce a regional edition of It’s My Business. The pilot of this initiative will be implemented in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, after which the curriculum will be made available throughout the INJAZ network of 14 countries.
INJAZ will also develop online extended learning opportunities for participants to more deeply engage the program outside of the class room. These online sessions would include additional edutainment features like games, video interviews with entrepreneurs, and supplemental learning materials.
The pilot will aim to reach approximately 3,000 youth in the seventh grade. INJAZ has agreements with the ministries of education where it operates to implement the programs during the school day.
In line with the sponsorship, MasterCard will also support in the implementation of the program with employees acting as volunteers .INJAZ will work closely to utilize MasterCard volunteers, as well as its existing network of private sector volunteers who will be trained to implement the program in schools across the Middle East.
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