VZCZCXRO2819
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DE RUEHEG #1268/01 1710424
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190424Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9601
INFO RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 0626
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 0285
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0368
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 0680
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0225
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1723
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1032
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 1184

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 001268 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ELA AND NEA/PI 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV ECON KMPI KDEM EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT MEPI UPDATE: SMALL GRANTS, RURAL OUTREACH, AND 
SCHOLARSHIPS 
 
¶1. Summary: Highlights of MEPI activities in Egypt during the first 
half of 2008 
include six new small grants for projects with aims including 
democracy 
promotion in schools and strengthening workers' associations; a USDA 
regional 
Food Defense workshop; outreach to Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta; 
interviews 
for Tomorrow's Leaders scholarships and Middle East Entrepreneur 
Training; 
consultations on university partnerships; and a web chat with 
enthusiastic if 
puzzled young Egyptians. End summary. 
 
------------ 
Small Grants 
------------ 
 
¶2.  During the first half of 2008, we received 23 small-grant 
applications from 
NGOs throughout Egypt addressing all MEPI pillars: democracy, 
economic reform, 
education, and women's empowerment.  After local vetting and vetting 
by MEPI 
Tunis, six of the projects are proceeding, in addition to five still 
under 
consideration and three continuing from last year.  Our new projects 
include 
training for labor activists in organizational skills and conflict 
resolution, 
promotion of women's political participation in Upper Egypt, 
production of a 
play on freedom and democratic values to be staged in youth centers 
throughout 
Egypt, and reporting on the conduct of the April local elections 
through 
interviews with voters.  As we integrate MEPI activities with the 
overall work 
of the economic and political section, six reporting officers have 
volunteered 
to serve as project officers for the new grants. In addition, we 
intend to work 
with some of the unsuccessful but promising applicants such as 
Businesswomen's 
Association in Dakahlia and the Port Said Small and Medium 
Enterprise 
Association to help them develop projects that meet MEPI objectives. 
 
 
----------------------------------- 
Outreach to Upper Egypt, Nile Delta 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  In February, we traveled to rural areas of Aswan governorate to 
meet the 
small-grant applicant Association of the Development of Women in 
Naga'a Helal 
and discuss potential collaboration with the Community Development 
Association. 
In the city of Aswan, we met with the Women's Renaissance 
Association, Egyptians 
without Borders, and the Future Association for Development to 
discuss their 
work, MEPI programs, and overall political and economic conditions 
in Upper 
Egypt.  We made a similar trip to Damietta, Port Said and rural 
areas in the 
Nile Delta region June 16-17 as part of our efforts to increase MEPI 
 
participation outside of Cairo. 
 
--------------------- 
Food Defense Workshop 
--------------------- 
 
¶4.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture organized a MEPI-funded 
workshop 
"Protecting the Middle East Food Supply from Intentional 
Contamination" in Cairo 
in January.  The workshop included presentations by experts from the 
United 
States, Europe, and Egypt to government and private-sector 
 
CAIRO 00001268  002 OF 002 
 
 
participants from 
throughout the region, focusing on the prevention of malicious 
tampering in the 
food storage and distribution chains nationally, regionally, and 
worldwide. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Scholarships and Leadership Training 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  We interviewed 43 students who applied to the Summer Leadership 
Institute, a 
six-week intensive leadership training program for college 
undergraduates.  Six 
- four women and two men from across Egypt - are now scheduled to 
attend the 
program, which will start June 30 with a two-day orientation in 
Washington D.C., 
followed by a four-week academic residency program at a U.S. 
university and a 
two-week educational study tour. 
 
¶6.  We also interviewed 11 students in February for four-year 
scholarships for 
Egyptian applicants to study abroad at the American University in 
Beirut (AUB) 
and the Lebanese American University (LAU) in Beirut.  (Lebanese 
students were 
eligible to apply for scholarships to the American University in 
Cairo but were 
not part of this selection panel.) Four Egyptians were selected to 
attend either 
AUB on LAU beginning the fall of 2008. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Middle East Entrepreneurship Training (MEET) 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  The Beyster Institute of the University of California-San Diego 
hosted a 
two-week workshop in Alexandria in March for 20 leaders of civil 
society 
organizations from throughout the region.  The workshop offered 
training on 
developing a business plan, strategic and tactical planning, and 
other guidance 
related to starting up or streamlining civil society organizations. 
Three 
Egyptians were among the 20 participants. 
 
¶8.  We participated in interviews of 22 Egyptian candidates for the 
MEET Senior 
Executive, Civil Society Organization, and Industry Specific 
programs.  The 
Beyster Institute ultimately approved five candidates from Egypt for 
the 
programs. 
 
-------- 
Web Chat 
-------- 
 
¶9.  In February, Public Affairs and MEPI fielded on-line questions 
from young 
Egyptians interested in study in the United States, concerned about 
the equity 
of the selection process for scholarships, and puzzled by a range of 
topics 
relating to MEPI programs and grants, exchange programs, 
fellowships, 
scholarships, and internships.  We explained the programs and did 
what we could 
to alleviate their anxieties.  Despite their uncertainty, the young 
Egyptians 
needed no encouragement to pursue these opportunities, demonstrating 
a high 
degree of interest in studying in the United States and enthusiasm 
about MEPI 
programs. 
 
¶10. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. 
SCOBEY