‘Because of my psoriasis, I have suffered so many forms of violence’

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021

At the age of nine, Asmaa Al Attar was diagnosed with psoriasis. She got married when she was 20. Seven years later, she asked for divorce because of her husband’s abuse. Now, at 27 and unemployed, Asmaa lives with her two children in Rafah City in the Gaza Strip.

Women-owned businesses in Lebanon receive support to get back on their feet after the Beirut Port explosion

Date: Sunday, March 14, 2021

Nada Khoury, Rosy Bteich, Silva Guiragossian and Marguerite El Zoughindy are four Lebanese women, that were directly affected by the Beirut Port explosion in 2020 as their businesses were severely damaged. Fortunately, they have been able to count on UN Women and partners for support to get back on their feet.

“If beaten women remain silent, they would endure more violence.”

Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Mona Al-Najmi, 34, is divorced and lives with her three children in the Maghazi Refugee Camp in central Gaza. The camp area is densely populated and lacks adequate infrastructure while its inhabitants face poverty and high unemployment rates.

Syrian women: Leading towards a peaceful Syria

Date: Friday, March 5, 2021

On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the leadership and determination of Syrian women, by sharing the voices of some of the countless women who have persevered on the frontlines over the last 11 years, working together to ensure women’s meaningful participation in Syria’s political process.

This is what leadership looks like: Meet Kaouther Kotersi, breaking barriers for people living with disabilities in Tunisia

Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Kotersi knows a thing or two about determination and resilience. She was only 13 years old when she was involved in an accident that resulted in her losing her ability to walk. This marked the beginning of a long and difficult journey to fulfil her ambitions. Growing up in Ajim, a rural community in Djerba, which is an island in the south of Tunisia, she endured backlash and constant discouragement from those around her.

This is what leadership looks like: Meet Caroline Fattal, one the “most powerful Arab women in business” dedicated to supporting Lebanese women entrepreneurs

Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Lebanese businesswoman Caroline Fattal, 49 years old, has been named one of the “Most Powerful Arab Women in Business” by Forbes Middle East in 2014, 2015, 2017 and again last year, in 2020. Co-founder of Stand for Women, a Lebanon-based NGO, she has dedicated much of her time since 2017 to helping more female entrepreneurs enter and grow in the local economy and to take on leadership positions in the private sector. Since the August 2020 Beirut explosion, Fattal and Stand for Women have partnered with UN Women to support small women-owned businesses that were impacted by the explosion.

As more families report FGM incidents in Egypt, advocacy intensifies, and a new bill seeks to increase penalties

Date: Saturday, February 6, 2021

A rise in the number of reported cases of FGM in Egypt is seen as a promising sign that the country’s efforts to raise awareness is starting to work.

Palestinian refugee women in Lebanon take prominent roles in resolving conflict

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021

In recognition of the positive role women can play in their communities as mediators and peacebuilders, one Palestinian woman living in a refugee camp in Lebanon is equipping herself with the tools needed to create a more peaceful future for her children and her community.

Dr. Kalpana Sankar: Empowering women entrepreneurs in India

Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2021

In 2019, Dr. Kalpana Sankar, Managing Trustee at Hand in Hand organization in India, won the Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women's Empowerment in the Individual Champions category.

Sustainable Development for All-Kenya: Promoting sustainable practices and women’s economic empowerment in rural Kenya

Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Sustainable Development for All-Kenya (SDFA-Kenya) is a non-profit social enterprise operating in Sub Saharan Africa with an aim to help underprivileged communities attain sustainable development, and in turn live better lives, through initiatives that originate from communities themselves. SDFA-Kenya was awarded the 2018 Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women's Empowerment, in the Civil Society category for their work on women’s economic empowerment.

Mahila Sahayatra Microfinance: Bringing together microfinance and women entrepreneurs in Nepal

Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Sumitra Gurung is the CEO of Mahila Sahayatra, a microfinance institution providing banking services for women and other vulnerable groups in Nepal. The company won the 2018 Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women's Empowerment, in the Private Sector category.

Small women-owned businesses in Lebanon fight to stay afloat amidst a crisis

Date: Monday, December 21, 2020

Suzan Mallas, 52, a hairdresser living in Beirut, is one of many Lebanese women trying to keep their small businesses afloat as the country’s economic crisis fast slips out of control — against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut Port explosion.

Preventing violence through education in the West Bank

Date: Monday, December 7, 2020

A teacher works with students in a school in Ramallah, West Bank before the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: HAYA Joint Programme/Samar Hazboun Violence inflicts harm on women, girls, men, and boys of all ages throughout the world. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, violence against women and girls has intensified and violence against school children in and outside the home is no exception. According to a survey by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,...

Helping survivors of violence seek justice through forensic science in the West Bank

Date: Monday, December 7, 2020

A vital pillar in the justice and security system, the sole forensic science laboratory in the West Bank seeks justice for survivors of violence. UNODC through the HAYA Joint Programme, is training laboratory technicians to help increase the likelihood of identifying perpetrators of violence and holding them accountable.

Hand over the Mic: Baselah Mohammad Abdelrazak, Za’atari refugee camp

Date: Friday, December 4, 2020

“I have been a community leader for the past 2 years. During this pandemic, I am in constant contact with the women and girls in my community. We mainly use phone calls, WhatsApp messages and groups.

A female inmate’s journey towards reintegration amidst COVID-19 in Palestine

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The provision of mental health and reintegration support services for women in detention is critical to ensuring their rehabilitation. A joint programme by UN Women, UNDP and UNICEF in Palestine is supporting such interventions in a manner that empowers women and make them able to cope with new challenges -such as the COVID-19 crisis- in constructive and positive ways. In addition to receiving psychosocial support, female inmates like Nada are learning new crafts such as mosaic, embroidery...

Hand over the mic to: Aida Nour ElDin, Egypt

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Aida Nour ElDin is the Chairperson of the Women and Development Association (WDA), a grassroots civil society organization that specializes in providing various services to survivors of violence and raising community awareness in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt.

What happened after COVID-19 hit: Lebanon

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Meserat Hailu, was 29 years old when she travelled to Beirut, Lebanon as an Ethiopian migrant domestic worker. For more than eight years, she suffered abuse by her employer until Legal Action Worldwide received word of her situation and took up her case and demanded her release.

A Syrian Woman in Lebanon starts her online business to fight economic hardship

Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Growing up in Syria, Malak Farran wanted to study law and become a lawyer. At 17, she married a Syrian man and moved to neighboring Lebanon, where her husband was employed, putting a halt to her dream of practicing law.

Two months on, Beirut’s elderly women are still reeling from the blast

Date: Monday, October 26, 2020

According to a rapid assessment that UN Women and ACTED produced immediately after the August 2020 explosion, elderly women are among the most vulnerable. They are less likely than men to have worked in their life, to have savings or pensions, and are over-represented among Lebanon’s poorest.