“Towards an Empowering Future” is a five-year project that takes a holistic approach to development in a gender-transformative manner. It targets all family members and their communities to ensure sustainable change in attitudes and better living conditions for girls and young women in Upper Egypt. The project aims to empower girls and young women by equipping them with economic skills and resources, along with social skills, to eliminate violence against them including harmful practices such as FGM/C (female genital mutilation and cutting), early marriage as well as to create opportunities for them to participate in decisions affecting their lives as equal and empowered citizens.
Through community awareness, community mobilization and girl-led activities, the project engages parents, family members and community and religious leaders to change their perception of gender roles, challenge culturally rooted beliefs and attitudes, and support young women’s involvement in income-generating opportunities. It further encourages and equips youth to take leadership roles by being directly involved in project activities and gradually act as agents of change within their communities and families, and it equips them with practical tools and resources for economic empowerment through entrepreneurship. The project also promotes the ownership of the local civil society organizations and groups, accountability of the local government on the governorate level as well as relevant government bodies to play a more responsive role in combating gender-based violence, challenging deeply rooted gender stereotypes and power dynamics that hinder girls and women from exercising their agency.
Pictures: © Plan International