Background on female-headed households
Key Terms and Phrases
Pictures from the Field
Relevant Links
ADEW sponsors Media Competition
In cooperation with the media syndicate, ADEW is organizing a media competition to recognize and honor groups who produce notable pieces regarding women.
The competition aims to encourage the media to challenge the traditional portrayal of women. Prizes will be awarded to the best investigations that discuss women's issues and challenge the norm.
A Committee, composed of both media experts and professionals in the development field, will recognize participants in the following categories :
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Television programs.
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Radio programs .
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Print media
The competition was launched on April 12 , 2003 , and will run until May 15, 2003 , An award celebration will culminate the event on March 15, 2003.
This is a great day for Egyptian women.
It is a great day for democracy.
President Hosni
Mubarak commissioned the government to prepare a new NATIONALITY LAW.
Egyptian women married to foreigners will be able to pass their citizenship
onto their children. The new law will be based on equality between fathers
and mothers.
ADEW has been campaigning for ten years on behalf of the thousands of
Egyptian women and their one million children born in here, raised here and
yet living as foreigners in their own country. ADEW's ground breaking
conference on the Nationality Law in October 2001 brought, for the first
time, the voice of women and their children to those making decisions and
setting policies. Women and their children came from all over Egypt to tell
their stories. They spoke of how they had to pay for their children's
education as foreigners, of how the costs of education were beyond their
means, of the long and difficult processes for getting
visas and residency. Poor women themselves marginalized are astounded that
their own children have no rights in their country.
ADEW has advocated for the protection and survival of these women and their
children. Every Egyptian citizen, whether woman or man, should have the
right to pass their citizenship to their children. How can we protect the
children of Egyptian women and make sure they grow up to be active,
effective contributors in this country if we don't safeguard their survival
through education and health care? How can we encourage their loyalty to
their land when they are treated as outsiders without dignity or security?
Acting as a link between poor women and policy makers, ADEW has pioneered
the concept of Life Testimonies in Egypt. In so doing, we fostered
awareness, understanding and empathy for the suffering of these women and
their children. We changed the public discourse from one focused exclusively
on security issues to one which takes into account the real life histories
of these women. We underscored the importance of the gendered nature of the
discourse and the discrimination against women. More than anything, ADEW's
approach opened up the arena for discussion and debate on the Nationality
Law.
In the end, ADEW's systematic and professional lobbying succeeded in
reaching Parliament, the National Council for Women and the National
Democratic Party. It succeeded in reaching the President who, yesterday,
commissioned the government to change the law to give all Egyptian women the
right to pass their citizenship on to their children. ADEW's success proves
that NGOs have an important role in Egypt, that democratic principles can
and are being applied and that government and civil society can and should
work together to improve the lives of
all Egyptians.
ADEW sponsors Media Competing
ANNOUNCEMENT
GREAT NEWS FOR EGYPTIAN WOMEN!