Academy for Educational Development

Washington, D.C., May 12, 2004 — The Academy for Educational Development has been awarded a significant grant from the Mosaic Foundation to implement girls' education programs in Djibouti, Egypt, and Yemen.

AED President Stephen F. Moseley and Senior Vice President May Rihani, who will direct the programs, accepted the award at the Foundation's seventh annual benefit gala May 11. The grant was presented by Nermin A. Fahmy, chairman of the gala. H.R.H. Princess Haifa Al-Faisal is chairman and president of the Mosaic Foundation Board of Trustees.

“We are deeply honored by your generosity tonight in support of AED’s education programs in the Arab nations – especially programs for girls’ education in Djibouti, Egypt and Yemen,” said Moseley. “Education, particularly for women and girls, is an essential ingredient in improving the health, development and economic growth of all countries.”

“I have seen the change, the positive transformation, that happens in girls' lives when they receive an education,” said Rihani, who is Director of the AED Center for Gender Equity. “Supporting girls' education in the Arab World will yield benefits to Arab communities in many different ways.”

AED has helped Arab countries implement educational improvement programs for the past 30 years. The Mosaic grant will allow AED to expand those efforts by helping Djibouti, Egypt, and Yemen to reach their goal of achieving gender equality in education by 2015.

Djibouti and Yemen have some of the lowest primary completion and secondary school enrollment rates in the world due to their lack of schools and the low quality of education. Yemen has one of the highest gender gaps at the primary level. In Egypt's rural areas, girls drop out of primary school in great numbers because of the poor quality of education, and many do not attend secondary school at all.

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