30 March 2015 – In celebration of National Women’s Month, the Philippine Embassy in Cairo gathered Filipina community leaders in Egypt for “Juana, Tungkulin mo sa Kapwa OFW ay Mahalaga! A Seminar on Encouraging Women’s Leadership in the Overseas Filipino Community” on March 26.

 “Empowerment begins within you and in you, but you cannot sustain it alone. That is why we have a community. If we empower ourselves, always remember the corollary duty to pass on your power to others,” Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Claro S. Cristobal told the seminar's primarily female audience. He also noted that women in the overseas Filipino community must become more involved in tackling issues that disproportionately impact them. 

As a scene-setter, Ms. Nora Rafea, Research and Information Analysis Associate at UN Women’s Egypt Country Office, presented the work of UN Women in encouraging women’s leadership and political participation. Ms. Rafea discussed, in particular, UN Women Egypt’s efforts in building the capacities of Egyptian women to participate in politics. Along with women’s economic empowerment and combating violence against women, women’s political empowerment is one among UN Women Egypt’s three areas of focus in campaigning for gender equality in the country.

During a panel discussion, several Filipina community leaders shared their stories of professional and personal success in Egypt. They identified supportive friends and family, information about and adaptation to the new environment, and a continuous drive for excellence as key factors in their self-empowerment. For their part, the representatives from UN Women proposed to tap Filipinas in their work to build coalitions among women in Egypt.

The seminar aligns with the Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW) theme “Juana, Desisyon Mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabukasan ng Bawat Isa, Ikaw Na!”, which calls on Filipinas to aspire to become leaders in government and civil society. END