From where I stand: “I’m grateful that I’m now able to work in a field that I love while still managing my own time and being there for my boys”

“I’m extremely proud of the success I achieved as a booking centre   director in several news broadcast agencies. However, when I became a   mother, the long working hours and stress of the job were not suitable for me anymore.

I took a few years off to focus on my newborn twins but after they turned 5 and started to become more independent, I realized that it was time to focus on my career again. I spent almost another five years trying to shift careers and get into a field that would be more convenient to my new lifestyle and responsibilities as a mother. I tried several jobs that I ended up quitting as they lacked the work-life balance I needed.

As I dabbled in different career paths, I started exploring social media and was especially interested in copywriting and content creation. I felt that I have a talent for it and the words came easily to me. That’s why I was especially interested and excited to join UN Women’s copywriting training once I heard about it.

During the training, I learned everything about copywriting, including how to read a client brief, how to extract keywords and how to properly organize my thoughts and develop my ideas. The training also provided me with an internship opportunity, which was an enriching experience and a chance to practically apply what I’d learned.

The training and the internship both helped me build a strong network that supported me in securing several copywriting freelance jobs. I’m grateful that I’m now able to work in a field that I love while still managing my own time and being there for my boys. I’m now generating my own income through the various freelance opportunities I have, and I’m sure they will keep flowing as I enhance my portfolio.”

The copywriting training Reem joined was part of a wider set of creative industry trainings delivered by Arascope, in cooperation with Media-Arts for Development. It falls under the regional joint programme “Promoting Productive Employment and Decent Work for Women in Egypt, Jordan and Palestine,” which is implemented by UN Women and the International Labour Organization, in partnership with the National Council for Women and the Ministry of Manpower, with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency.

Reem was among the 100 distinguished women trainees who received internship opportunities. In addition, 30 selected trainees were divided into teams that produced three women-led documentaries for a competition portraying stories through women’s eyes. The documentaries have also been submitted to the upcoming edition of the Aswan International Women’s Film Festival.

Reem’s story exemplifies how providing women, and especially mothers, with training and flexible job opportunities to support their employment and career development while still fulfilling their roles as mothers, contributes to achieving SDG 5 on achieving gender equality and SDG 8 on promoting sustainable economic growth and decent work for all.