The American University of Beirut wants to train an additional 100 women in community health in Lebanon. His Institute of Global Health announced on November 11, 2026 a partnership with the Meem Foundation, established in the United Arab Emirates. Signed on October 6 in Amman, this agreement extends the Mobile University for Health, launched in 2019.
Two training courses and professional support
Participants will receive certificates on women’s health and non-communicable diseases. These paths must also be adapted to a digital format. University reports that 120 women have already obtained a certificate in previous promotions.
A unit dedicated to employability must link graduates to internships, volunteer missions and paid community health functions. A digital platform and educational resources will accompany this work. However, jobs remain an objective, not an already achieved result.
Community health, close to the people
The principle is to pass on knowledge to women in the communities concerned, and then to help them share these achievements. The training thus seeks to bring health information closer to living places and daily exchanges.
A first evaluation, published in March 2021, describes training conducted between March and August 2019 for 42 participants. The program combined registered courses, attendance and practical exercises. One year later, the researchers interviewed eight trained women and held a discussion with nine community members.
The evidence gathered referred to better understood knowledge, information given to relatives and referrals to health services. They also pointed to an essential difficulty: knowing a service is not enough to be able to consult it. Cost, distance and lack of specialists continued to hamper access to care. Training does not remove these material obstacles.
Learn, then be able to transmit
A second study, published in May 2024, focuses on the deployment of the program between 2019 and 2022, with 83 women graduates. It covers three areas: women’s health, non-communicable diseases and psychosocial support. The researchers conducted 93 interviews and 14 group discussions to monitor the effects of training and post-training exchanges.
This assessment indicates an increase in the knowledge and confidence of participants. It also shows why accompaniment cannot stop when a certificate is issued. Some women needed more preparation to speak in public or answer questions. The distance from meeting places, noise and family responsibilities could hinder the sessions.
The authors offer training reminders, oral presentation support and child-friendly spaces. These concrete measures allow us to consider the constraints of the participants, not just the content of the courses.
Effects to be measured without overestimation
This work mainly documents the perceptions and experiences of participants and residents. They do not demonstrate a measured decrease in disease at the population level. The teams also recognize a possible bias: beneficiaries may wish to give a favourable response to the accompanying organization.
In order to assess the new partnership, it will be necessary to distinguish between registrations, certificates obtained and actual job opportunities. The number of trained women alone does not measure the number of jobs created or the quality of care received.
Comments