Karama is the Arabic word for dignity, as well as an initiative fueled by a coalition of partners as constituencies to build a movement to end violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa. Karama puts emphasis on women from the ground up.
Recent contributions and Voices Highlighting Women's Rights and Roles, and their Future in the Region:
On Egypt: Voices from Karama's Staff
Karama Founder and CEO Hibaaq Osman gives a firsthand account from the women's march in Cairo on International Women's Day, emphasizing the role of women in the revolution and in its aftermath.
"In Cairo, Alexandria, Assiut and all around Egypt, women were there side by side with the men, and if women are left behind, we will not have a true revolution, but a reversal of rights for all."
Direct of Egypt's Country Program for Karama, Dr. Ashgan Farag discusses her Egyptian pride, believing in the power and commitment of the youth, and the worries that endure post-revolution.
"We have lived many years criticizing the state of our youth and children. We have wondered about the youth's quietness, disinterest, vanity, patriotism, and what homeland meant for them. It was always saddening whenever I talked to my daughters about how lovely our country is and how much I love it only to realize they are unable to follow or fathom such values. Sectarianism and fanaticism gutted me more witnessing them grow day after another.
Ms. Marwa Morsy details the pivotal shift the events of January 25th and beyond invoked in her political life as an Egyptian citizen.
"I am 35 years old and for the first time I admit that I love the ground of this country. I am proud to be an Egyptian. Before the 25th of January, I was never interested in my country's political issues, because I had gotten used to seeing the corruption and could only comment in private with my friends and family...These days made me study politics, made me respect a lot of minds that I usually never listen to, made me feel that my country is one of the most powerful countries in the Middle East to the extent that the world was watching closely what was going on on the ground."
