Nation Station’s Women’s Center caters to the needs of our female community members. The center is focused on providing economic opportunities, but is also expanding to address issues such as GBV and period poverty.
As a data-driven organization, Nation Station adapts its projects to the needs of the community. Over the past year, our data team has conducted on-site assessments of over 1400 households, collecting first-hand data concerning both the needs and abilities of the population. This data suggests a disproportionate number of unemployed women, who are able and willing to participate in the workforce, but who lack the necessary support or skills to sustain themselves and their households. This information was further validated by surveys, refining the concept further to fit both the needs of the market as well as those of the local population.
As the economic situation continues to worsen, creating economic opportunities gains relevance even further, calling for impactful counter-measures.
The Nation Station Women’s Center is tackling this issue through three main pillars: digital literacy, financial literacy, textile work.
Digital literacy: Nation Station is providing digital literacy trainings and workshops for women. Beneficiaries are taught basic computer skills, ranging from simple tasks such as research and data entry, up tomore complex tasks like digital accounting and simple web development.
Financial literacy: As financial independance is a main goal of our center, financial literacy is a must. Through the help of our partners, the Women’s Center provides interactive workshops on topics such as saving, budgeting, and risk mitigation.
Textile work: As shown my our data, many female members of the community have experience with textile-related skills such as sewing and embroidery. However, such products have very limited market potention in the current economic climate. The Women’s Center provides trainings in silk-screen printing. Profits generated from sold products go towards the remuniration of the participating women.
In addition to providing economic opportunity through the above measures, Nation Station also seeks to address the issue of period poverty. This problem is gaining urgency, as 66% of women living in Lebanon can no longer afford menstrual products. Nation Station is seeking to produce reusable textile pads, whilst also raising awareness about menstrual health.
