Womens participation in employment is low in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories, with women holding less than a quarter of total jobs. The conflict situations have further deteriorated the opportunities of women for engaging in sustainable economic ventures, especially in rural areas. Under the circumstances outlined above, cooperative and micro-entrepreneurial activities in traditional sectors (agro-food, artisanal handicraft) can contribute to poverty alleviation and to women's economic and social empowerment. RUWOMED aims to improve income generating opportunities by setting up and strengthening existing SMEs and women cooperatives to become efficient, viable and sustainable economic entities and ensure a decent source of income for their households. Expected Results: • 185 new and existing economic activities run by women strengthened through trainings and input support in topics related to use of ICT, management, accounting, marketing, packaging and design• Quality of 75 tons of products manufactured by women entrepreneurs improved in line with European standards• Public exposure for womens products increased to boost their access to local and international markets