“This festival falls within the framework of the project “”Improving the Skills of Egyptian Women to Participate in the Labor Market,”” implemented by Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development (ACT) with funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). The project is centered on women’s economic empowerment, a key priority for the Egyptian government, and aligns with Egypt’s Vision 2030, particularly its first pillar on economic development, which stresses the need to create new job opportunities for women to close the gender gap.
The project also aligns with the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, particularly its second pillar on economic empowerment, which seeks to increase women’s employment rates and enable their access to economic resources and capacity development.
Project Objectives
Strengthening women’s participation in the labor market by raising women’s awareness of the importance of their participation and overcoming the male dominance that hinders it.
Designing and producing audiovisual materials that tell women’s stories, the challenges they faced, and how they overcame them.
Target Groups
The project trained 100 women and girls from Cairo, Giza, and Aswan governorates in mobile filmmaking, to tell their own stories about work and life.
It also trained 50 people from institutions, civil associations, and related bodies on gender issues, crafting media messages, and reaching a wide audience of women and girls through awareness campaigns and “”Working Women’s Week”” events.
The project focused as well on training a group of media professionals and journalists specialized in covering women’s issues in the labor market, particularly in the informal sector.
Fifteen narrative stories were developed and produced as mobile-phone films, used in awareness campaigns and screened on several platforms.
The project concluded its activities with festivals in Aswan, Cairo, and Giza governorates under the name “”Working Women’s Festival,”” the last of which was the closing festival held at Zawya Cinema.
Partner Associations in the Project
Women of the South Foundation (Aswan Governorate)
Helwan Foundation for Community Development (Bashayer, Giza Governorate)
Tomoh Community Development Association (Giza Governorate)
“”Working Women’s Festival”” Activities
The festival honored the partner associations and institutions in recognition of their vital role in supporting women and encouraging them to acquire creative skills and tell their stories through mobile films. It also highlighted these partners’ ongoing commitment to eliminating inequality and all forms of discrimination against women and girls.
Films collectively directed by women from Aswan, Cairo, and Giza governorates were screened, alongside films by other directors addressing working women’s issues, including:
“”The Good Hands””
“”Nubian Colors””
“”Your Kindness to Us””
“”Makers of Hope””
“”Qout”” (Sustenance), directed by Abdelrahman Gamal
“”A Pure Life,”” directed by Muhannad Diab
“”Umm Yehia,”” directed by Reham Ghareeb
“”Umm Amira,”” directed by Naji Ismail”
