Observed every March to honor women who have made important sacrifices and contributions to society in both the past and present, CSP will be celebrating women’s history month this year by launching a social media campaign to highlight the work and achievements of some of the inspiring women it works with. This week, CSP reviewed its success to date in empowering female Lebanese youth via its internship program. By the end of February 2023, CSP secured 129 paid internships (59% of whom are women) for undergraduates and fresh graduates from 11 Lebanese universities across eight USAID/Lebanon implementing partners. Of these 129, 38 have secured full-time jobs, 58% of whom were women. Former CSP intern and graduate of Haigazian University Ani Sarraf is an example of one these women who completed a 6-month internship at CSP where she supported a range of initiatives and departments, including the diaspora support pilot initiative, recyclables waste management project, MEL department, and communications and outreach team. Following her internship, CSP had a need for a coordinator to support communications, outreach, and engagement with current and previous interns for a period of 6 months. Ms. Sarraf applied for the position and was selected through a competitive recruit. Since March 1, she has been working as a University Partnerships Communications Coordinator. Now a member of CSP’s professional workforce, Ms. Sarraf’s responsibilities include designing a comprehensive intern communications strategy, managing social media communications with interns, collecting data on their experiences, promoting job opportunities, and coordinating interns’ quarterly feedback sessions.

“Transitioning from being an intern to a short-term professional is a milestone that will help me gain real-life experience and boost my confidence in my abilities. The variety of practical tasks is making me feel empowered and ready to kick off my career,” stated Ani Sarraf, Business Advertising and Communications graduate from Haigazian University.