Egypt

Menna is a creative consultant, with a focus on social impact. She has 10 years of experience working in corporate and nonprofit sectors. She developed and oversaw several marketing strategies in Egypt and Africa that combine effective advertising with data driven storytelling. Menna built more than 20+ viral campaigns and initiatives to assist organizations and companies to transform their visibility strategies up to 70%. Additionally, she worked at two of Egypt’s largest advertising firms, which gave her a leverage in her social development work from a business model perspective and provided her with a broader knowledge and hands-on experience in the media area.

Host Organization: HealthRight International

Role at Host Organization: As the Chief Operating Officer Fellow, Menna will develop strategic communication plans with metrics and goals that are aligned with the organizations’ mission, vision, and values. The Fellow will develop, maintain, and grow successful relationships with key media outlets on the local, regional, and national level. Furthermore, Menna will draft and publish press releases, organize press conferences, and develop strategies for press events and campaigns for, but not limited to exhibits, events, contributions, movies, etc. The Fellow will also act as the organization’s spokesperson, pitch, and arrange publicity opportunities such as speaking engagements, podcasts, appearances, and interviews.

Mai has extensive experience in project implementation through her coordination of various projects and her direct work with partners, vendors, refugee communities, and host communities in her former organization, Catholic Rrelief Services, in Egypt. Mai was also a Special Assistant to the Advisor to the Chairperson on strategic relations at the African Union Bureau of the Chairperson as an assignment of her AU Youth Volunteer Corps. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Cairo University in 2016 and is currently enrolled in a Euro-Mediterranean Master program in Cairo University. Furthermore, Mai has four years of experience in the fields of advocacy, program coordination and support. As an advocacy officer at the Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies, she worked on three projects that focused on the role of nonprofits in development in Egypt, business environment for SMEs, and budget transparency and disclosure. These projects were with multi-level stakeholders. Mai also succeeded in designing and facilitating 15 capacity building trainings for the parliamentarians’ staffers and workshops for young entrepreneurs with Friedreich Numan Foundation. Working on these projects developed her organizational and communication skills since working with different stakeholders on different levels paid off with much experiences in organizing conferences, capacity building, stakeholders meetings, international donors meetings and one to one meetings with government officials and public figures. As programs coordinator at Tahrir Lounge @Goethe institute, Mai was responsible for coordinating cultural programs in which she worked on creative expression for social issues like poverty and gender based violence, which resulted in seven productions of art materials and 10 short movies addressing gender related issues.

Host Organization: Save the Children

Role at Host Organization: As an Advocacy Officer Fellow (Child Rights and Participation), Mai will offer support to the Save the Children New York Advocacy Office (NYAO) in the areas of engaging children and youth to influnce policy and political debate at the United Nations. The Fellow’s role is key to the office’s commitment to ensure the protection and rights of children around the world through strategic engagement in key moments, commissions, resolutions, and for a in the UN space. The Fellow will work alongside NYAO colleagues and UN-based coalitions to secure meaningful participation of children in the UN Space and to inform that issues that disproportionately affect children are clearly addressed in UN outcome documents and resolutions. This role will also work closely with “Shift Power” programme colleagues across Save the Children member, regional and country office colleagues to provide direct support to adolescent and youth from frigate context to participate in global advocacy.

Solafa is an Egyptian Journalist and Woman Human Rights Defender. She was imprisoned almost two years in the jail in Egypt for her Journalistic work and Defending Human Rights. Currently she based in Paris, France. In 2020, She won the Prestigious Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF). On April 27, 2020, the Washington Post Press Freedom Partnership spotlighted Sallam, She facing murder threats, detention and lifetime prison sentences simply for doing her jobs-reporting the truth and holding the powerful to account. On December 2020, The Mayor of Paris granted her the French honorary citizenship, honoring her for her work. She earned a degree in law, from Ain Shams University in 2009 in Cairo, Egypt. Since then she has been working for many national and international outlets. Her area of expertise is TV and online TV, as she focuses on shooting/producing her own mobile based reports for the web. Her work has appeared in Al-Araby TV, Deutsche Welle, TRT World, MadaMasr, and BBC, DAWN, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed Newspaper, Host and Researcher for Podcast 11. Her news reports and features have covered the political transition and social unrest in Egypt, sexual harassment in Egyptian society, minority rights, women’s rights, education, human rights, and refugees. Solafa has been to The United Nations, and other esteemed entities both in Egypt & the U.S. Belgium, London and Lebanon, to address local, regional and global challenges and discuss potential proposals and initiatives, building strong relations and cooperation between youth and community initiatives between these countries. At the United Nations, Solafa is keen to follow discussions of human rights – particularly, freedom of speech and protections for journalists – as well as initiatives to eradicate poverty and reduce plastic waste. She managed and supervised her own newsroom with other journalists and cameramen. Preparing pitches, digging up for stories and shooting/producing. She can leading TV crew for international media, and supervise production teams on the ground as well as do her own production. In addition to the qualifications of writing short stories and producing TV documentaries. She has launched a press initiative focusing on the use of social media tools in creating small press platforms to be alternative verification media channel, and covering through direct broadcast technology on Facebook. She has founded of Everyday Footage ”Non-Profit’’, a school that trains young women journalists and researchers in mobile reporting, in order to be able to work as one woman/man crew. On September 2019 she was selected among 15 journalists around the world to participate in a UN fellowship and to cover the UN General Assembly, she was the only fellow from the Arab World. Additionally she has got a grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Germany.

Host Organization: Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

Role at Host Organization: As a Bassem Sabry Democracy Fellow, Solafa will have the opportunity to develop key research and analysis skills; gain exposure to the policy world; and develop a network that will help further their career and empower them to be an effective advocate for change. The Fellow will also select a topic of focus for the entire fellowship period and produce programming and analysis around this topic. Through the Bassem Sabry Democracy Fellowship, the Fellow will produce and publish research, receive training on public speaking at events and meetings, and develop a network of stakeholders.

Kazem Hemeida is a development professional with 10 years of experience, of which five years of progressive positions were at Humanity & Inclusion (HI). Kazem currently occupies the position of Cairo Area Manager, where he oversees the operational aspects of Cairo projects. In addition, Hemeida leads the HI’s Inclusion Technical Unit based in Egypt, with a mandate to support diverse stakeholders from the private sector, civil society organizations, and government to adopt disability-inclusive policies and practices. Before working at HI, Hemeida worked as a Senior Program Specialist at the Center for Development Services, where he managed projects that aim to enhance the empowerment of youth and women. He also contributed to local and global participatory studies. Moreover, he worked at Egyptian non-governmental organizations such as the Egyptian Youth Federation, where he contributed to the design and implementation of various projects that aimed to improve civic participation for youth and women. Furthermore, Hemeida is an experienced trainer and facilitator who organized Open Space Technology workshops, designed and facilitated simulation games workshops that were attended by hundreds of participants. Hemeida holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Cairo University. He is a recipient of the Peace Scholarships Program, where he studied for one year at Colorado State University, winner of the World Bank’s Global Fund for Youth Investment Grant for his project about enhancing youths’ employability through self-employment in the ICT sector, and Youth Guest Speaker at the Clinton’s Global Initiative.

Ahmed Fadl is a social entrepreneur from Egypt; he has six years of experience with national and international NGOs in Egypt (Life Makers Foundation, Rotaract, Save the Children, Refuge Egypt, etc.). He has been working on economic development and inclusion programs, serving Refugees, migrants, and Egyptians from vulnerable communities. Ahmed also worked on youth development programs targeting students in different Egyptian universities. He founded iLearn, an educational initiative that aims to raise awareness about online education. In 2016, Ahmed cofounded a FinTech startup, ElGameya, a digital peer-to-peer lending solution through mobile application; he was responsible for the business and financial units at the startup. ElGameya has successfully managed to join four of the biggest startup incubation/acceleration programs in the country. Ahmed interned at Village Capital (a DC-based organization supporting impact driven startups) as part of the Professional Fellows program. Ahmed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Port Said University; in addition, he has completed extensive online studies in the fields of project management, data analysis and visualization, finance, and development studies. He is interested in music, astronomy, sports, and philosophy.

Host Organization: Village Capital

Role at Host Organization: At Village Capital, Ahmed will serve as the Startup Ecosystem Fellow: supporting Village Capital’s relationship with the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator with an aim of creating fans and advocates of IBM’s technology and approach with the fintech, health tech, insurtech, and regtech startup communities.

Heba is an urban planner and researcher. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Alexandria University and a Master’s degree in Urban Development from the Technical University of Berlin. Heba’s biggest passion is a sustainable development of cities and communities. She has worked on city issues in Egypt and various countries in the MENA region. She also took part in a number of international events, workshops, and traineeships, all of which helped her further develop her skills and knowledge. Heba’s biggest goal is to keep working to make cities more sustainable places for people to live.

Host Organization: Charter Cities Institute

Role at Charter Cities Institute: At Charter Cities Institute, Heba will serve as a Research Fellow: collaborating with new city developments interested in improving their governance and supporting the creation of the legal frameworks for charter cities.

Sohaib has four years of experience working in nonprofit organizations. He earned a diploma in Business Administration from the German University in Cairo after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Minufiya University. Currently, Sohaib works mainly as a Business Development Manager for his startup, MD Group. In this role, Sohaib learned to find sponsors through effective networking, closing deals, negotiation, and discovering new leads for partnerships. Sohaib also has four years of experience in entrepreneurship. In addition to his passion for entrepreneurship, Sohaib has a business background. Sohaib has experience in his family’s business, startups, and other professional businesses, which gives him a wider perspective on all aspects of business scales, especially in Egypt. Sohaib is incredibly passionate about providing high-level education for youth in his country and helping charity organizations get funded. In the future, Sohaib intends to be one of the best strategic planners in the government education sector.

Host Organization: Mentor Capital Network

Role at Mentor Capital Network At Mentor Capital Network, Sohaib will serve as the Entrepreneur Fellow: collaborating with for-profit social entrepreneurs around the world, collecting their stories, and helping the Mentor Capital Network connect them to the appropriate peer and mentors.

Mohamed is an Egyptian researcher at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. He was a researcher at the Law and Society Research Unit at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights’ (EIPR). Mohamed researches law and religion in Egypt, as well as civil society, indigenous people’s rights, and peasant rights. He has published many articles, papers, and book chapters in Jadaliyya and an edited volume, The Rise and Fall of the Labor Movement (2018). He is a recipient of AUC’s John D. Gerhart Center’s Lazord Fellowship and Open Democracy’s Middle East Forum Fellowship. Mohamed holds a diploma in Islamic Sharia. Mohamed participated in several academic conferences as organized by the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Amsterdam, and AUC.

Host Organization: Project on Middle East Democracy

Role at Project on Middle East Democracy At POMED, Mohamed will serve as a POMED Resident Fellow: using his time with the organization to enhance his analytical, research, and public speaking skills by completing an independent research project in consultation with POMED staff.

Nourhan has around three years of experience in journalism. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics from The American University in Cairo (AUC) and just completed her law degree at Cairo University. She worked as a reporter in several reputable Egyptian news outlets, including Mada Masr, where she compiled daily press reviews for the Morning Digest, Aswat Masriya, and Daily News Egypt. Previously, she worked as a researcher and archivist at the Law and Society Research Unit at AUC for 1.5 years. There, she conducted socio-legal research and devised archive collection strategies with the aim of compiling legal documents for the digital legal archive Manshurat Qanuneya. Throughout her career, she has primarily focused on human rights issues, media freedoms, judicial affairs, and significant court verdicts in Egypt. She has acquired strong research, writing, editing, outreach, and marketing skills through her various work endeavors. Nourhan finds media governance and criminal justice reform as fields of particular interest and has a strong passion for legal and judicial development in Egypt.

Host Organization: Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

Role at Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy Nourhan will serve as the Bassem Sabry Democracy Fellow: developing an independent research paper or project of her own design in conjunction with TIMEP’s directorial staff.

Hadeel has seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from Cairo University in Egypt and a Diploma in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Through her work as a Senior Business Development Executive and a certified Innovation Facilitator at the Information Technology Institute, Hadeel worked to profoundly scale up the impact of the Egyptian youth on the ICT workplace. She helped cultivate an entrepreneurial culture and mindset among Egypt’s aspiring talents through managing the Virtual Incubation Program in partnership with Waterloo University in Canada. Hadeel is a Gabr Fellow 2016, between the U.S. and Egypt. She has been to The White House, United States Congress, International Monetary Fund, and other esteemed entities both in Egypt & the U.S. to address local, regional and global challenges and discuss potential proposals and initiatives, building up strong ties between the two countries. Previously, Hadeel has worked at Ashoka Arab World, promoting Social Entrepreneurship in the Arab World, and empowering social ventures and non-governmental organizations in Egypt. She is strongly passionate about people, ideas, stories, cultures, a better interconnected world and good coffee.

Host Organization : Kinvolved

Role at Host Organization : Hadeel will be responsible for coordinating local and national events and meetings, representing Kinvolved in community meetings and events, implementing marketing and social media campaigns and strategies, measuring and tracking progress and goals of marketing strategy, and assisting with design of basic marketing materials.

Sally has ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector in the area of non-formal education and development. She graduated from Ain Shams University with a BA in English Literature & Language and completed a diploma in Human Resource Management from the American University in Egypt. For the past five years, she has worked with adults and young people on issues ranging from youth participation, volunteering, intercultural learning, and human rights education. Sally has also been contracted by both local and international NGOs, including EuroMed Youth Programme, Council of Europe, and Nahdet El Mahrousa, to design and conduct specialized training courses. She is the author of a publication on international volunteering between Europe and the Arab Mediterranean for the Support and Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities Resource Centre (SALTO). Sally feels blessed to be doing what she is passionate about: working with people, exploring different cultures, and advancing development.

Host Organization: Grameen USA

Mirette has over five years of non-profit sector experience working in the field of community development in Egypt. She graduated from Cairo University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Professional Development at the American University in Cairo. Mirette started her career as a banker at HSBC bank in Egypt. In her spare time, Mirette devoted herself to community-based social work. She volunteered at an orphanage where she employed games and experiments to teach English and science using an interactive approach. Mirette later volunteered as a facilitator with ILO-Cairo on the SCREAM project, which supports child rights through education, arts, and the media. Mirett’s enriching experience with this project led to a life-changing decision to devote her career to community development. Mirette is currently working as a non-formal education coordinator and youth educator at Alwan Wa Awtar NGO, an arts-for-development organization situated in rural Cairo. Mirette has over five years of non-profit sector experience working in the field of community development in Egypt. She graduated from Cairo University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Professional Development at the American University in Cairo. Mirette started her career as a banker at HSBC bank in Egypt. In her spare time, Mirette devoted herself to community-based social work. She volunteered at an orphanage where she employed games and experiments to teach English and science using an interactive approach. Mirette later volunteered as a facilitator with ILO-Cairo on the SCREAM project, which supports child rights through education, arts, and the media. Mirett’s enriching experience with this project led to a life-changing decision to devote her career to community development. Mirette is currently working as a non-formal education coordinator and youth educator at Alwan Wa Awtar NGO, an arts-for-development organization situated in rural Cairo. Mirette has over five years of non-profit sector experience working in the field of community development in Egypt. She graduated from Cairo University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Professional Development at the American University in Cairo. Mirette started her career as a banker at HSBC bank in Egypt. In her spare time, Mirette devoted herself to community-based social work. She volunteered at an orphanage where she employed games and experiments to teach English and science using an interactive approach. Mirette later volunteered as a facilitator with ILO-Cairo on the SCREAM project, which supports child rights through education, arts, and the media. Mirett’s enriching experience with this project led to a life-changing decision to devote her career to community development. Mirette is currently working as a non-formal education coordinator and youth educator at Alwan Wa Awtar NGO, an arts-for-development organization situated in rural Cairo.

Host Organization: Earth Conservation Corps