Her knowledge on the subject is drawn from years of experience designing and implementing programs in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East for a range of donor agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, UNICEF, the World Bank, as well as private and corporate foundations such as GE and ExxonMobil.
With reports of abduction and assassination of girls in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries for the sin of seeking an education, May Rihani’s work could not be more relevant or timely. She has faced and firmly talked down hard-boiled Afghan leaders and respectfully argued with uncompromising male community elders in African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries, using their values to gain their support for programs that would improve educational opportunities for girls.
In the United States, she has played an important part in increasing our awareness of the challenges young women around the world face by testifying on Capitol Hill, and by contributing to the docudrama, Girl Rising, produced by Ten Times Ten, that aired on CNN in 2013.
Born and raised by remarkable parents in Lebanon during that country’s “golden years,” May Rihani is a woman whose full life is dedicated to helping girls and women take charge of their lives. She is able to do this while remaining feminine and in love with life and beauty. She is recognized in her country and the Middle East as an out-of-the-box thinker and poet with three volumes of poetry to her credit.
The Author
May Rihani is the author of eight books—five in English and three in Arabic. Her English books address the issues of girls’ education, women’s empowerment, and global human development. One of her books: Learning for the 21st Century: Strategies for Girls’ and Women’s Education in The Middle East and North Africa was translated into French, Arabic, and Farsi. Her Arabic books are a collection of free-verse poetry that deal with love, language, Lebanon, and global common ground. Her latest book, Cultures Without Borders, is a memoir.
Awards
May Rihani’s work on behalf of women’s issues, global understanding, and poetry has attracted the attention of her peers and colleagues, academic institutions, and the development community. She is the recipient of many prestigious national and international awards, among them:
- The ADC Women’s Empowerment Forum Leadership Award: Washington D.C., March 2015.
- The Juliet Hollister Temple of Understanding Award: New York, October 2012.
- Leadership Award of the Center for Women’s Leadership in International Development: Creative Associates International Inc., Washington, D.C., March 2012
- Legacy Award: Academy for Educational Development, Washington, D.C., June 2011.
- Al Waref Poetry Award: Al Waref Institute, Washington, D.C., January 2010.
- The Khalil Gibran International Award: University of Maryland, April 2008.
- Said Akl Award: Beirut, Lebanon, June 2004.
- Capital Area Peacemaker Award: School of International Service, American University, Washington, D.C., March 1998.
