A programme to help 50 young Bahraini women become self sufficient has been launched, which will provide training in media and communication as well as photography and translation.

The cost covers all course expenses and a small allowance for participants, who will be given the opportunity to learn skills in professions mostly carried out by men.

The BD130,000 ($344,000) Supreme Council for Women programme is being conducted by the Bahrain University and financed by three supporters.

The initiative is in line with the theme of Bahraini Women's Day on December 1, "Bahraini women in economic development - a partnership and dedication", said officials.

"These programmes mainly target the younger generation and the jobs that are needed in Bahrain," said Supreme Council for Women women's empowerment programme general director Shaikha Azza bint Abdulrahman Al Khalifa. She was speaking at a Press conference held at the Supreme Council for Women, in Riffa.

"For example, we have few women photographers in Bahrain, but we have many women-only events where such services are needed. We also noticed translation is now needed everywhere. So through these programmes we hope women will get jobs."

The media and communication training programme is held in partnership with the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) and Bahrain University.

The BD52,250 initiative for 15 Bahraini women aims at helping participants gain employment in media-related jobs.

During the four-month course, participants will learn photography, videography, graphic design, print, publishing and managing media campaigns.

"Most of the participants are graduates that are looking for jobs," said Shaikha Azza. "We hope that by providing these projects these women will be able to set up their own businesses."

The BD16,850 photography training course for 15 Bahraini women is implemented in co-operation with Tamkeen and the university.

The two-month programme trains participants in the basics of photography and videography and introduces them to different types of cameras and the professional techniques of photography.

The translation programme is an eight-month initiative that costs BD63,725 for 20 Bahraini women. It is implemented in co-operation with the Islamic Development Bank and the university.

The programme aims at preparing qualified and specialised women in the field of written and spoken translation.

"It will teach them immediate and written translation because we are hoping that later we can find them jobs in this field or they can set up their own offices," said Shaikha Azza. – TradeArabia News Service