The National Council for Women and UN Women Egypt Launch a Series of Public Screenings for the Film “Between Two Seas” in several Governorates across Egypt

Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020

Cairo, November 29, 2020 - Within the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the National Council for Women (NCW), in partnership with UN Women Egypt, launch a series of public screenings for the film “Between Two Seas” in a number of governorates across Egypt, with the aim of raising the awareness of women and men about the various issues that the film tackles such as violence against women and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The National Council for Women and UN Women Egypt Light up the Great Pyramids of Giza in Orange to kick off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

Date: Thursday, November 26, 2020

Cairo, 26 November 2020 - The National Council for Women (NCW), in partnership with UN Women Egypt Country Office, lit up in orange the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx on the 25th November, joining the global community in launching the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

From where I stand: “If I know how to respect my wife, then my daughters will know how to respect me too”

Date: Sunday, November 22, 2020

Maged Fawzy is a husband and a father of two daughters, aged 9 and 14. Fawzy is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WellSpring, a social enterprise established in 2009 with the mission of supporting local communities through participatory activities that focus on strengthening family bonds.

Hand over the Mic to: Aida Nour ElDin, Egypt

Date: Monday, November 16, 2020

Aida Nour ElDin is the Chairperson of the Women and Development Association (WDA), a grassroots civil society organization that specializes in providing various services to survivors of violence and raising community awareness in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt. Aida Nour ElDin speaks to a group. Photo courtesy of Women and...

In the words of Dalia Ramadan: “The training programme not only taught us how to use arts in our work, but also how to better connect with the women we serve”

Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Dalia Ramadan, 36, is a project manager at the Al Shehab Foundation for Community Development in Cairo, who specializes in providing legal and psychosocial support to women survivors of violence. The initiative falls within UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) programme, which is generously supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In a conversation with UN Women, Ramadan shared how the training programme has enhanced her capacity to communicate with communities and women survivors of violence.

From where I stand: “It makes me happy to have a two-way constructive dialogue with the children and the women that I work with”

Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Silvana Samy is a 27-year-old lawyer, string artist and a workshop facilitator from the Upper Egyptian governorate of Beni Suef. Samy was one of 24 civil society employees and volunteers, who completed the training programme in Applied Drama for Community Health and Empowerment, which ran from August 2019 until March 2020, and was facilitated by Dawar for Arts and Development.

In the words of Malak Abdelshafi: “Nothing can stop us because we’re girls.”

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2020

Malak Abdelshafi is a 17-year-old Egyptian Paralympic swimming champion who qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. When she was 10 months old, she suffered severe spinal cord injuries from an accident that left her partially paralysed. After the accident, part of her treatment was hydrotherapy, because of which she came to love swimming. In 2014, Abdelshafi joined Egypt’s national team. Abdelshafi has since won 39 national and 6 international medals. In line with its efforts to support...

From where I stand: “I will prove to everyone and to myself that I will not just handle the job; I will excel”

Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Menna Ramadan, 18, is a third-year student at El-Wardian Industrial School for Girls in Alexandria and one of the 150 future electricians and 40 teachers who are benefiting from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Girls Initiative being implemented by the Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD). UN Women supports the initiative under its joint programme with the International Labour Organization (ILO), entitled “Promoting Productive Employment and Decent Work for Women in Egypt, Jordan and Palestine” that is generously funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Dads in quarantine: An opportunity for change

Date: Friday, August 7, 2020

Unable to leave home during the COVID-19 lockdown, Egyptian families have been spending more time than ever inside, and together. Despite the many challenges of enforced isolation, this has in many cases deepened bonds and led to a reflection on the existing burden of unpaid domestic work that women perform – and at least some tentative redistributions. Between 4 to 14 April, the National Council for Women (NCW),– this year celebrating its 20th anniversary, Baseera & UN Women –conducted a rapid assessment survey of 1,500 women on COVID-19, including its impact on domestic violence & unpaid care work.

In the words of Ahmed El Sheikh: “Thanks to the coronavirus crisis, I was able to see a beautiful side of my life.”

Date: Monday, July 27, 2020

Ahmed Mamdouh El Sheikh, a 38-year-old banker, is a father and husband who realized the impact of sharing household responsibilities with his wife during the coronavirus crisis. El Sheikh talked to UN Women about the positive impact of the crisis on his relationship with his family. UN Women Egypt works in partnership with the National Council for Women, civil society organizations, and the private sector to promote men’s engagement in the public and private spheres through its “Men and Women for Gender Equality” programme, which is funded by the Swedish Agency for International Development.

From where I stand: “It is a great feeling when you know that you can change your situation to the better and help your loved ones”

Date: Monday, July 27, 2020

Hayah Mohamed is a 38-year-old Yemeni woman living in Cairo with her husband, their daughter and three sons. She had to stay in Cairo longer than expected and faced economic challenges after she stopped receiving remittances from Yemen due to the ongoing conflict. To support her family, Mohamed joined a sewing course at AlMashgel, a production unit supported by UN Women Egypt...

From where I stand: “I’ll never let my girl undergo FGM… I do not want her to witness the torture that I went through”

Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020

Amal Ahmed* – a wife and mother of an 11-year-old girl and three boys aged 15, 18 and 19 – lives in Dar El-Salam in Cairo governorate. When she herself was 10 years old, Ahmed’s life was turned upside down, after she and her sister were tricked by their family into undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) at the hands of a doctor at home.

UN Women welcomes unprecedented national efforts to support survivors of sexual assault and harassment

Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Egypt is witnessing incredible social momentum in support of survivors of gender-based violence, including sexual assault and harassment. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Egypt applauds the courage of the many women who have experienced violence and have spoken out and welcomes the strong national response, led by the National Council for Women (NCW), in support of survivors of violence against women to ensure accountability of perpetrators.

From where I stand: “The most important skill to learn is how to be at peace with yourself.”

Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Etemad Al Sururi is a Yemeni refugee who came to Egypt a year ago after witnessing the horrors of the war in her home country. After settling down in Egypt with her sister-in law, Etemad and her husband struggled to find jobs, despite their studies and work experience. Therefore, she decided to take a different road and learn new skills. She enrolled in UN Women’s vocational training course in October 2019, where she learned bakery and cake decorating – a first step to her new life....

From where I stand: “I learned how to engage with everyone in the group so that they feel included and … can share their experiences and heal”

Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Qesma Ismail is a Psychosocial Case Worker at Saint Andrew's Refugee Services helping women refugees who have experienced traumatic events throughout their life. She provides psychological support to the women she meets through group therapy and individual counselling.

From where I stand: “Never let fear stop you… feel it and do it”

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Abir Leheta is a wife and mother of two girls, aged 14 and 19. At the age of 42, Leheta was appointed as the Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Egytrans, originally a family-owned company that grew considerably, got listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange, and is now considered one of the leading companies in Egypt in the male-dominated industry of transport and logistics.

From where I stand: “I printed a 3-D face shield to protect my sister from the coronavirus”

Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Randa Atef is a 26-year-old electrical engineer from El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Gharbia Governorate. Atef is cofounder of the Robot Academy, a skills-development centre that organizes robotics and electronics educational activities for the children of El-Mahalla. Her passion for innovation and her drive to protect her sister, a dentist, from the coronavirus inspired Atef to use a locally manufactured 3-D printer to make her face shields. Given the rising local demand for such personal protective...

From refugees to master chefs

Date: Monday, June 22, 2020

With ongoing conflict and war around the world, people are on the move, migrating to escape danger and poverty and seeking better living conditions. Currently, Egypt hosts more than 252,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers – and nearly half are girls and women (UNHCR, 2019). To establish long-term solutions, UN Women is working with refugee women and girls in Egypt to protect their rights, create employment opportunities and provide social support. We spent a day with women in different classes and many women were eager to share their stories and tell us how the training has made an impact on their lives.

Restoring the role of fathers within the family

Date: Sunday, June 21, 2020

Traditional gender roles have for a long time segregated the roles of parents at home – with mothers usually fully responsible for raising children while fathers act mainly as providers, with little involvement in child-raising. With an aim to promote more active roles for fathers within their families – including their fundamental influence on children – UN Women Egypt in partnership with the National Council for Women organized a “Father and Child” camp to raise awareness of fathers on their essential role and strengthen their bond with their children.

Take Five: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, solidarity and cooperation between men and women is crucial… the burden should not all be carried by one partner”

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2020

Amr Mohey El-Din Abdelrahman chairs the Board of Directors of the community-based organization (CBO) El-Shabab Association for Developing Community, working in Akhmin, Qalyubia governorate. The CBO was one of six CBOs that received small grants under UN Women Egypt’s “Men and Women for Gender Equality (MWGE)” programme, to implement...