Toka Mohamed, 23, was among a group of 20 women who took part in UN Women’s photography training. After jumping between unfulfilling short-term jobs, she decided to pursue her passion to become a professional photographer and videographer.

Though Marwa’s beauty salon didn't survive its first year due to a combination of challenges, including lack of experience and financial strain, she remained passionate about the beauty industry. And fueled by her unrelenting spirit, Marwa decided to get back up and try again. This time, armed with the skills and knowledge gained from the beauty care training offered by UN Women.

After graduating from the Institute of Computer Science, Heba Hussein’s love for all things digital was put on the back burner as she was swept away with the responsibilities of marriage and childcare. However, she did not give up on her passion for exploring technology. Now, at 40, she's pursuing her passion by joining the training on mobile repair offered by UN Women and embarking on an exciting new chapter in her life.

After years of working in the news broadcasting field, Reem Samir realized that she needed a better work-life balance to be able to raise her twin boys. This goal motivated her to join UN Women’s copywriting training, shortly after which she began a career as a freelance copywriter.

Dina El-Orabi is not your ordinary baker; she is an artist who kneads love into every bite. Her joy comes from feeding others with her mouthwatering creations, from flaky pastries to cakes. To turn her passion into business, Dina decided to launch Deelia’s Kitchen. With the support of Rabeha Joint Programme, she managed to set a strong foundation for her startup and begin her flavorful and delicious journey of success.

Suzanne Gamal, a 46-year-old mother, would do whatever it takes to provide the best for her children. When her eldest son's summer vacation approached, Suzanne was keen on finding top quality summer camps where he could develop and grow. However, she was disappointed as she did not find what she was looking for. That’s when she decided to launch her own camp, and Makan was born. To overcome the challenges she was facing along the way to manage her business, Suzanne decided to join Rabeha Joint Programme, which aims to enhance women’s economic empowerment by providing capacity building, development support and financial aid to women entrepreneurs, jobseekers, private sector companies and investors.

From a young girl with ponytails selling snacks and candy in her school playground, to a major wholesaler of clothing and linens, has always been a true trader at heart. With the support of Rabeha Joint Programme , Shrouk, 31, is now working on developing her own application, Yalla Jomla, to reach more customers and level up her business.

The Government of Egypt-the Ministry of International Cooperation and the National Council for Women- and the European Union launched the Women’s Empowerment Programme “Tamkeen” in partnership with the governments of Italy and Spain, together with the United Nations in Egypt, namely UN Women, UNFPA, and UNICEF.

Dr. Maya Morsy, President of the National Council for Women (NCW), met with Ambassador Eric Chevallier, French Ambassador to Egypt, and Ms. Christine Arab, UN Women Egypt Country Representative in light of a new partnership with the French government and UN Women Egypt to support national efforts to establish the “Assembled Unit for the Protection of Women Against Violence”. Through this partnership, the Egyptian government will enhance the unit’s accessibility for women and girls with disabilities, who have been subjected to violence.

UN Women Egypt engages with the private sector in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), particularly in the workplace. The main tool used for private sector’s engagement is the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact. The WEPs are a set of seven principles that offer guidance to business on how to advance gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community.

UN Women Egypt in partnership with the Egyptian Red Crescent delivered desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian women and children in Gaza. The ERC/UN Women nine-truck convoy that entered Gaza includes 7,000 kits for Palestinian women and children, including commodities to address their essential needs.

As a passionate adventurer who lives in a land of ancient wonders and modern marvels, Samia ElKhodary found an untapped market in culture and art tourism. Eager to showcase Egypt’s rich heritage and vibrant art scene, the 32-year-old entrepreneur launched Qahrawya, a unique tourism company that offers a different perspective on the country. With the support of Rabeha joint programme, Samia is now able to scale up her business and contribute more to Egypt’s tourism sector.

Naglaa is a dedicated wife and mother of three living a rural village. As a young girl, she completed high school but when she realized that the same opportunity might not be available to her daughter, she decided to take action. Through a friend, Naglaa was introduced to the program and determined to join.

With several articles and books published in her name, 28-year-old writer Amany Zayed was starting on her newest book but facing writer’s block. When she came across UN Women’s scriptwriting training, she joined in the hopes of refuelling her creativity, and gained so much more.

Sara is one of the students currently enrolled in the first professional training programme in Egypt for psychosocial support and case management for service providers to address violence against women and girls. This training programme, launched in June 2023, is being implemented by the National Council for Women (NCW), represented by the Women’s Complaints Office (WCO), in partnership with the Department of Psychiatry at Al-Kasr Alainy Hospital, Cairo University and in collaboration with UN Women Egypt and the European Union Delegation to Egypt. The development of such a training programme falls under the framework of national efforts to continue strengthening the services provided to women survivors in line with the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030.

With her camera in-hand, 36-year-old Doaa Adel sets out on the streets of Egypt with a passion to photograph life, as she sees it.

Amal was leading the traditional life. She would wake up in the morning and do her household chores, take care of her three children, and wait for her husband to come back home from work. However, when she took the bold step of participating in the programme she did not realize that her life would change drastically.

Despite having 12 years of experience as a professional photographer, 32-year-old photographer Shimaa Moneer wanted to learn more about the field and continue to develop her skills. She also had big dreams of empowering Egyptian female photographers and believed that joining UN Women’s photography training would help her do just that.

After graduating from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Lilianne Rando got sidetracked from her creative passion when she joined her family business. However, even after four years, Lilianne, now 28, still wants to return to the creative field. She took her first step towards this by joining UN Women’s copywriting training.

The National Council for Women (NCW), Damietta Governorate and UN Women Egypt participated in UN Women’s Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces Global Leaders’ Forum (sixth edition) in Quito, which aiming at advancing the international knowledge base and programme action on ending sexual harassment and creating safe cities and public spaces for women and girls worldwide through highlighting the main lessons learned and supporting new partnerships.