women

It’s no secret that women play a major role in the development of their societies, especially Egyptian women; they are marked by their endurance and their ability to take responsibility. Despite the challenges of women employment opportunities in Egypt, more than 35% of Egyptian women are the breadwinners for their families. Some leaders have seen those challenges and decided to do something about it, by creating projects that provide employment and income opportunities for those who otherwise may not be able to find them.

These powerful, inspiring, and ambitious women are all around us, but we do not always seeing them in the media, although they deserve more than just recognition. They merit encouragement and support for having enough guts to follow their dreams and turn them into reality. We decided that it was time for a change; it’s time to bring their efforts to the light and acknowledge their impassioned journeys.

They are skilled, ambitious, and intelligent women who have made valuable contributions to their communities by creating job opportunities in our marketplace, and empowering their fellow females by increasing access of poor women to services through greater economic empowerment.

Let’s share the experiences and expertise of these dedicated women in targeted projects and entrepreneurial initiatives. We hope this collection of stories will not only inspire and uplift, but also encourage and empower others to find their own voice as well, passing on the legacy of leadership from one generation of women to the next.

La Maison De Crochet

Nagwa Fathy Mahmoud’s knitting needle addiction led her to start her project “La Maison De Crochet;” she used the craft to both express herself and to pursue her vision in life of supporting Egyptian women and culture. By keeping a savvy business eye on the bottom line, she used her passion for knitting and grew her tiny idea from scratch into a major success.

If you browse through the photos on the La Maison De Crochet Facebook page, you can see the wide variety of talented and creative pieces for sale, all supporting local Egyptian artisans and marketers. The items range from clothing pieces, such as shawls, vests, sweaters, and slippers, to things for the home, such as blankets, rugs, and coasters, to anything else you could imagine, such as bracelets, purses, and even tennis shoes.

La Maison de Crochet was designed to create short and medium term employment. It addressed the specific employment challenges faced by youth and women in Egypt’s poorest and most marginalized governorates; the ones suffering from persistent high levels of unemployment and lack of basic social service.

The economic opportunities come through employing the talent of women in areas such as Ain el Sera and also by hiring and teaching men marketing skills. All of the products are high quality and locally hand made, as part of Nagwa’s goal to replace the expensive imported products with more affordable Egyptian made versions. Despite all of the challenges of running a viable project, Nagwa Mahmoud succeeded and managed to build and grow her business at a time when many knitting and sewing shops were closing their doors due to the hard competition with large factories.

Zahrawan

Zahrawan is a nonprofit foundation that proves it’s never too late for housewives to have a chance when it comes to working outside of the home. Founded by Dr. Cherine Fathy, it encourages women, and also men, from all walks of life to use their talents in a productive way, whether it’s through cooking, handicrafts, commerce, or other areas. Participants have a chance to sell their goods and creations at one of four villas in Cairo. Their food is delicious, homemade, and the menus are coordinated each day, providing an incredible experience for their hungry diners. Their products from clothes, household products, and jewellery are unique, remarkable, and all around mind-blowing.

To start such a huge project is not an easy feat, Dr. Cherine  worked hard with a large volunteering team of brave and persevering women until they got the foundation off on the right foot. The foundation quickly became a major success, despite being a nonprofit. All of its income goes to charity, and the customers just keep coming.

At the same time, the organization didn’t stop at merely empowering women in the centres but expanded to community development. Zahrawan started more projects that not only provide income to the poor and vulnerable governorates but also with durable rural infrastructure and social services which further enriches the opportunity for economic and social development at the local level.

GebRaa

Rania Seddik launched the social enterprise GebRaa with a specific goal in mind: protecting the traditional Egyptian crafts at risk. Located at the Greek Campus in downtown Cairo, this project is based upon the “Khayamia” industry. This patchwork craft traces its roots back to ancient Egyptians. GebRaa also creates handicraft products made of porcelain and seashells, in addition to being  the first project in the world to use palm midrib wood as raw material in their home décor line. Their products use all natural and eco-friendly materials.

GebRaa’s main target is to promote succession in this disappearing craft by offering training to marginalized artisans from both genders. This allows them to become economically and socially empowered, appreciated, and a chance to take pride in their cultural heritage.  It supports product development to match the needs of socially conscious local and international customers striving for unique production.

We must not forget that success is not defined by external labels of achievement, but by internal alignment of values and the fullest expression of who you are. It is inspiring to see amazing women around us using their ambitions and dreams to help empower those around them, because every female, regardless of age, culture, religious or socioeconomic status, should be entitled to the basic human right to live her voice out loud and become a leader in her own life.