Under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the National Council for Women, the Bank of Alexandria, through its pioneering initiative to empower women “Ghalia” and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, organized the second edition of the “Yes Yoga Day” activities under the title “Sukoon: The Beginning of a New Destiny”, which aims to combat Violence against women in general in light of the sixteen days of activities to combat violence against women for the United Nations. This year’s issue is specialized in empowering refugee women residing in Egypt economically and socially, in cooperation with the “Tadamun” Foundation, which all profits from the event have been allocated to its development, as it provides educational and employment opportunities, medical and housing services in order to integrate them into Egyptian society and includes refugees from 13 countries.
In the presence of representatives of several parties, including the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the National Council for Women, the Bank of Alexandria and the Sawiris Foundation, the activities of the day included yoga sessions, then a discussion session for representatives from the National Council for Women, the United Nations for Refugees in Egypt, the “CARE” Foundation, and the Tadamon Foundation, in addition to Establishing a handicraft bazaar on the sidelines of the day.For her part, Dr. Maya Morsi, head of the National Council for Women, stated that violence against women is a serious societal problem that occurs at the global level and in all societies, noting that in order to confront this violence in all its forms, it is necessary to work to unify all efforts and strengthen cooperation between national institutions and civil society organizations and development partners, and to ensure that all necessary means are taken to prevent more women and girls from being subjected to violence, while working to educate community members through various activities, events and campaigns, of the seriousness of this issue and its negative effects, whether on women or their family members.
Dr. Maya indicated that one of the most important files that the Council is working on at the present time is the file of combating violence against women and the file of economic empowerment of women, in light of the women’s empowerment strategy 2030, stressing that women’s economic empowerment is one of the most important ways to help women confront violence against them, noting that The council is interested in helping girls and women acquire more skills that will help them find a job opportunity, train them on how to set up small and medium projects, help them develop traditional products and crafts, and identify market requirements, which supports the woman’s access to becoming an entrepreneur responsible for her own work, noting
The National Council for Women is cooperating with the Bank of Alexandria in implementing the “Ghalia” initiative, which aims to empower women economically.Lily Hosny, Head of the Office of Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development at Alex Bank, stated: “Following the success of the first edition last year, the Bank of Alexandria, through its initiative to empower women “Ghalia”, sought to complete the benefit of this event as a means to support efforts to eliminate violence against women. A year on a pressing social issue, the “Ghalia” initiative has empowered more than 5,000 women to date, which contributes to positioning Egypt as a positive front for peace and hospitality in the Middle East by welcoming refugee women, integrating them into Egyptian society, and empowering them socially and economically.
Engineer Nora Selim, Executive Director of the Sawiris Foundation, confirmed that “the issue of empowering and supporting women was and still is a top priority for the work of the Sawiris Foundation. Over the past 20 years, the Foundation has supported many programs and initiatives that seek to empower women economically, socially and educationally. She added that she is still There is a lot of work that we have to do to advance women and society as a whole, so the Foundation continues to strive with its partners from the private and governmental sectors and civil society institutions, in order to create a safe society in which women live in dignity and safety, empower them with all their rights, and enhance the surrounding environment and the available options
Therefore, we are proud of our partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the National Council for Women and the Bank of Alexandria, and for being part of this event that aims to eliminate violence against women and provide all means of social and economic support for refugee women.”In line with the objective of the event “Sukoon: The Beginning of a New Destiny”, various artworks were displayed by refugee women beneficiaries of Tadamun that reflect their memories from their homelands as a product of an effective artistic partnership with the Art of Nushu initiative through development sessions.
