International Women's Day

The 8th of March was International Women’s Day. This is an important day for Dorcas because standing up for women’s rights plays a crucial role in the way the organisation operates.

Mona Wissa, country director of Dorcas in Egypt, shares how Dorcas deals with problems of inequality. She shares: ‘We want to give women their sense of self-worth back. Many men in Egypt have a flawed image of women which results in extreme cases of violence and sexual harassment. Boys and girls grow up with this flawed image. We want change this view by involving both the men and the women in our projects’.

One of Dorcas’ projects in Egypt helps women to earn an income with agriculture. Many of the women who take part in this project do not know how to read or write. The men in the area look down on these women and the women have little self-confidence. ‘This project has already helped nearly 600 women’ Mona shares, ‘after the women have taken our courses, they are able to start their own projects. They can get micro credits and start businesses. Working in agriculture allows them to get their own income, which earns them respect from the men in the community’. Families and communities are already starting to experience positive changes as these women pass on their skills to their children.

16 March 2015