In the 2024 edition of the “Champions of Change” awards ceremony, the nations of Mexico, Canada, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic joined together to honor and celebrate the incredible social, economic, and political accomplishments of twelve exceptional Egyptian women.
An esteemed event was held at the residence of the recently appointed Mexican Ambassador to Cairo, Leonora Rueda, on Wednesday. The ceremony was graced by the presence of distinguished attendees such as Louis Dumas, Canada’s ambassador; Ivan Jukl, the Czech Republic’s ambassador; Raphaël Martin de Lagarde, minister counselor and deputy head of mission at the French embassy; Frank Hartmann, Germany’s ambassador; and Håkan Emsgård, Sweden’s ambassador.
The “Champions of Change” awards were instituted as a means of acknowledging the contributions and endeavors of Egyptian pioneers in the realm of gender equality, aimed at building a more dynamic Egypt in 2020. The awards ceremony is organized in conjunction with the observance of International and Egyptian Women’s Day.
Manal Abdel-Moneim was honored for empowering rural women by teaching literacy and supporting their businesses in food, farming, and crafts. Her goal is financial independence and access to formal finance. Namees Arnous, she is the founder of E7kky Network. Soraya Bahgat is a human rights activist and founder of Tahrir Bodyguard. Salma El-Lakany is the founder of VeryNile Shop. Mai Farid is the CEO of the Universal Health Insurance Authority and assistant minister of finance for economic justice and heads the reform of the Universal Health Insurance. Fatma Ibrahim, founder of The Sex Talk Arabic, an innovative and pioneering not-for-profit organization that has received recognition for its commitment to human rights.
Hala Khalil is a film director, producer, and writer. Fatma Metwally is an entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of a peanut factory, a sector dominated by men in Upper Egypt. Sara Sabri is the first Egyptian astronaut to travel into space on a Blue Origin NS-22 Flight. Géraldine Samir Tawfik is the director of Samusocial International Egypt. Yara Shalaby is the first female Rally contestant in Egypt to be a champion in desert racing. Hanaa Shehata is the director of the Canada Desk, Ministry of International Cooperation (MOIC), a key partner for Canada responsible for agreements between the Egyptian and Canadian governments.
The Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy, De Lagarde, has announced that France has allocated a budget of €1 million in 2023 to promote gender equality and combat discrimination and violence against women in Egypt. The funding has been directed towards supporting 14 local organizations and women’s entrepreneurship. De Lagarde emphasized that the initiative has already financed 7,500 projects and created 26,400 jobs across 26 governorates, highlighting the positive impact of the program.
