Women play a major role in the development of their societies, especially Egyptian women, they are marked by their endurance and their ability to take responsibility. Well aware of this fact the National Council for Women launched ‘Together To Serve Our Country’ initiative. It is a program created by the Council in cooperation with the Ministry of Endowments and the Egyptian Churches. The program was launched in all governorates of Egypt through door-to-door campaigns with the help of the Ministry’s Preaches and The Churches’ Nuns.
Isis Mahmoud, Director of Training at the National Council for Women to Egypt Forward, “The initiative aims to connect with the common people and all the segments of our society, especially women and mothers in rural areas. The Ministry of Endowments’ Preaches and The Egyptian Churches’ Nuns knock on doors in every region and sector in Egypt to talk with people. We talk with them on national issues, the problems we all face as citizens. We don’t wait for people to come to us, we don’t invite them to seminars, conference or workshops, we go and knock on their doors. We talk and listen to them.”
Manal Abd El Hady, Preacher at the Ministry of Endowments to Egypt Forward, “The same role we do at mosques and churches is no different than what we do through this program. The message is the same.”
Feryal Maurice, Notre Dame Des Apotres’ school Principle to Egypt Forward, “Our message is address to everyone. Our message is for the whole society, not for a group or a sect. The role of the preachers and the nuns in this program is quite crucial because it helps raising our homeland. This is how we raise our students in all of our schools, we try to teach them that there is no difference between people, that there must be equality, their must be love and forgiveness between us in order for our country to thrive. Our main goal is to raise a generation who consider each other brothers and sisters despite any religious difference.”
Dr. Yomna Abo El Nasr, Preacher at the Ministry of Endowments, and Psychology Professor at the Canadian University, “When you see people from different religions walking side by side, united on the same goal, this is a message in itself. It proves that religions unite people not divide them. The road to our initiative’s message is clear through Islam, clear through Christianity, clear through humanity.”
Isis Mahmoud, Director of Training at the National Council for Women added, “Every period we tend to evaluate our work, if we are achieving a good progress, how to improve, we search for new places to visit, we are always seeking to help more and more people.”
“The role of women over here is close to non-existent, therefor raising awareness through this initiative and explaining to women how important they are in their communities is quite crucial and empowering. It also encouraged them to start projects."Samira Samir who works at the Monastery of the Virgin in Mount Assiut explained to us. "When we saw the preacher next to the nun we felt safe, we felt that there is indeed goodness in our country, that we all want to live in harmony.”
Feryal Maurice, Notre Dame Des Apotres’ school added, “When it comes to what religion you follow, what you believe in, how you pray…only God can judge you, and no one but him. We can only judge each other by how we treat one another, how we respect our rights and duties toward one another."
Dr. Yomna Abo El Nasr, Preacher at the Ministry of Endowments, and Psychology Professor at the Canadian University, “The main goal of our initiative is to show the whole world how we are all united toward one goal, which is raising the name of our country as high as we can, that no matter how different our religions are we are still all the same, all citizens of Egypt who love one another and want to server the country alongside each other.”
Mon, Apr. 1, 2019
