Why Heya Masr?
Because we believe that Egyptian women should be strong and confident to develop themselves, their families, communities, and their country. We believe that empowering young women during adolescence is empowering generations to come.
لأننا نؤمن بأن المرأة المصرية يجب أن تكون قوية و واثقة لتستطيع تطوير نفسها و عائلتها و مجتمعها وبلدها. ولأننا نؤمن بأن تمكين الشابات خلال فترة المراهقة هو تمكين الأجيال القادمة.
The sad statistics for Egypt are powerful, based on the 2011 UN report.
- 97% of women were subject to some sexual harassment
- 1 in 4 girls are victims of physical violence.
- Sexual abuse of children represents 18% of the total incidences related to children.
- 53% of incidents, the offender is a child’s relatives, and in 45% of cases, there is no family relationship.
- 48.5% of women aged 25-46 years old face the risk of developing high blood pressure.
- From 2010 to 2012, more than 26,000 children drop out of basic education. Of the 26,000, 76% of the dropouts were girls due to violence.
- 2.3% of adolescent girls are married, and 12% are in the process of getting married. There were more than 40,000 cases of underage marriage, resulting in 150,000 births from these adolescent girls.
Problem Statment
Children in Egypt are exposed to abuse in various ways, whether from one or both parents or others surrounding the child. This abuse occurs physically directly (such as violence and sexual harassment), indirectly (such as neglecting his health and lack of health information), or psychologically (such as verbal abuse, sarcasm, or bullying). Therefore, Heya Masr works to develop the child’s character by processing tools and skills that enable him/her to protect him/her from the aforementioned types of physical and psychological harm and restore their dignity and self-worth end generation recycles of trauma and abuse.
Heya Masr (She is Egypt) is a social enterprise non-profit in Cairo, Egypt, that operates as a registered non-profit organization (Registration #10407; dated 01/05/2017). Its mission is to restore a sense of dignity and pride in young Egyptian women by building their self-confidence and empowering them mentally and physically to develop themselves. Heya Masr targets young girls and boys aged 6-18 to strengthen their character. We do this by providing a safe and nurturing environment for physical activities, nutritional and healthy lifestyle education, character development activities, sexual harassment and bullying awareness, and self-defense strategies. We believe that to make an impact, we need to educate both young women and men equally.Heya Masr is empowering a young generation of girls and boys now for a better Egypt tomorrow.
Mission: Heya Masr aims to restore the sense of dignity and pride in young Egyptian women by building their self-confidence and empowering them mentally and physically to develop themselves, overcome all sorts of physical and psychological violence, break the cycle of traumas and abuse, and aim for a better future for themselves, and their societies. To generate a multiplier effect for a stronger and more sustainable impact, Heya Masr supports women’s empowerment by parallelly and equally educating not only girls but boys and parents to raise a generation.
Our Mission
Heya Masr aims to restore the sense of dignity and pride in young Egyptian women by building their self-confidence and empowering them mentally and physically to develop themselves, overcome all sorts of physical and psychological violence, break the cycle of traumas and abuse, and aim for a better future for themselves, and their societies. To generate a multiplier effect for a stronger and more sustainable impact, Heya Masr supports women’s empowerment by parallelly and equally educating not only girls but boys and parents to raise a generation.
Our goal is achieved by organizing self-sustaining, community-based programs focused on character development through educational classes on nutritional wellness, anti-bullying-harassment awareness, and self-defense. These programs are held in partnership with local organizations, schools, and youth centers to empower the young generation to grow into stronger, more hopeful, and effective society members.
Our efforts are unique because we rely on UN studies* that report that behavior changes occur at an earlier age. We equip women and men with mechanisms to empower themselves against the negative impacts of extreme deprivation, abuse, and other adversities in these formative years. In this way, we believe that we adopt a proactive strategy rather than a reactive one. We believe impacting women during adolescence to become stronger, more stable, confident, and independent will impact Egypt’s future generations. We invest in educating boys within the same age groups and parents to support those young women.
Our Vision
We dream of young Egyptian women believing in themselves and fully realizing their potential as strong, confident, and independent agents of change. Young women who capture their empowerment with access to a safe venue lend themselves to improved self-confidence and strengthened character.
To capture their empowerment with access to a safe venue that lends itself to improved self-confidence and strengthened character. Our program is not restricted to a certain geographical area or learning center. Heya Masr forges partnerships with other NGOs, centers, and educational institutions, coordinating timely and common objectives to target a larger population of young women that will positively impact Egypt’s future generations.
WHY, HOW, WHAT ?
Why Join Us?
Heya Masr deeply believes in the Egyptian woman and her strength. We believe that investing in young girls will build a brighter, stronger future for Egypt. Despite the circumstances and difficulties in society, Egyptian women have proven time and time again that they can be the backbone of this country. Heya Masr is targeting young women in all social classes and Egyptian society’s disadvantaged segments. Our effort will be achieved through organizing self-sustaining, community-based sports programs, health wellness educational programs focusing on nutrition and fitness, along with awareness and self-defense classes in partnership with local organizations, schools, and youth centers. These activities will empower young women to become effective partners in society and overcome any abuse, either physical or mental. We believe building a stronger character at such a young age is the key to building a stronger generation of Egyptians willing and capable of facing tomorrow’s challenges.
