Op-ed: In celebration of Egyptian women

CAIRO - 8 March 2018: The whole world is celebrating the amazingness of women today; not that we actually need a specific day to remind everyone how strong and accomplished women are … but we do indeed deserve one whole day to be dedicated to us hands down.

This year, however, the one year-old reporter in me has decided to celebrate the greatness of Egyptian women in a different way, by doing my best to bring together an overdose of achievement and power in one article, all inspired by stunning female figures, whom I had the chance to meet, interview and admire in 2017.

In most, if not all, stories I took on this past year, at least one mind-blowing female figure would turn it all upside down, overshadowing all other aspects with her own success story or touching experience.

From inspirational young women who have overcome all barriers - from poverty to illiteracy, disability, social barriers - to accomplished Egyptian leaders in international organizations and governmental positions, amazing ladies who have been contributing to the development of underserved areas for decades, athletes who have come to shine as international women champions, young girls working hard in community service organizations, ladies behind renowned brands, programs and initiatives, inspirational scientists who are destined to change the whole world with their discoveries, Egyptian mothers who would fight the whole globe for the sake of their children; and I cannot leave out the beautiful Syrian ladies who came from their war-torn country to join the open community of amazing Egyptian women, mothers and leaders.

It is almost impossible to convey all of the lessons I learned from these ladies in one article, and not even one book; and I honestly really want you to know them all and meet them all. Therefore, I put together all of the clips, photos and messages I found in my archive in this “moderately” short video; so that you can get to know “very few” of the amazing females I had the chance to interview in 2017.



Each of these amazing ladies has inspired me in more than one way; and some of their quotes have become lessons that I ended up adopting as a mission in my life. But since it is almost impossible to sum-it all up in one article, I will leave you with this quote from UNHCR senior policy advisor for the MENA bureau, Shaden Khallaf, who has put together in one paragraph most of the messages I would like to send to all Egyptian women.

“It takes courage and strength to face the enormous hurdles Egyptian women face every day in making a decent living, caring for their children and their elderly, being the source of comfort and refuge for their families, managing households, all the time while negotiating promotions, fending off discrimination, dealing with harassment, and having to work twice as hard to earn the respect they deserve in the workplace. I am inspired by Egyptian women, and women everywhere around the world, who selflessly stay the course and make it easier for all of us to do the same.” — Shaden Khallaf

Happy International Women’s Day!