Today I announce the recipients of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) grants program for 2023-24.
The CAAR grants program aims to strengthen collaboration between Australia and the Middle East and North Africa region by advancing areas of shared political, economic, and social interest and building a greater appreciation of each other’s cultures and values.
Projects under the CAAR grants program are focused on the areas of innovation and sustainability, health and sport, social cohesion and gender equality, and arts and culture.
The ten successful projects for 2023-24, which will receive a share of $452,000 in funding, include:
- Workshops for Early Childhood teachers in Saudi Arabia to promote gender equity when teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics, hosted by the University of New England.
- A partnership with Fred Hollows Foundation to broker linkages between St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group and Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology will improve the delivery of eye health services and lay the foundation for the early recovery phase in Gaza and future eye health missions in the broader region.
- A training and leadership camp in Qatar focused on building leadership skills for Muslim youth footballers, organised by the Bachar Houli Foundation.
- A project promoting circular entrepreneurship between Australian and Arab entrepreneurs through the establishment of a Blended-Living-Lab, run by James Cook University in collaboration with Abu Dhabi University (United Arab Emirates) and King Abdul Aziz University (Saudi Arabia).
More information about the CAAR, the grants program and the full list of successful grant recipients can be found on the CAAR website.