MENA Advocates for Gender Equality
Advocates for Gender Equality (AGE) is a volunteer-led initiative that aims to raise awareness and build momentum for gender parity through sub-regional working groups, beginning with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
MENA AGE is a volunteer group composed of gender advocates from all around the world who work together online on a weekly basis. The group is committed to advancing gender equality in the Middle East and North Africa by creating engaging and educational videos about women’s and girls’ issues in MENA as well as highlighting inspiring stories, case studies and reports of the widespread positive impact of gender equality on people and countries. The objectives of MENA-AGE are:
to raise awareness about gender issues in the Middle East and North Africa,
to encourage women and girls to elevate their voices,
to engage more boys and men worldwide in supporting the issue and
to advance gender parity locally and regionally.
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Team
Hadil Alashwal, Founder & Managing Director
Hadil is a Yemeni feminist, writer, and activist. She was raised in Yemen and has lived in different countries in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Her experience with gender inequality in different cultures has come to play a seminal role in shaping her perspective and commitment to promoting gender justice in MENA and all around the world. Hadil holds an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University where she was selected as a representative, exemplary woman to inspire others. Currently, she works as a consultant at The World Bank Group, Education, MENA in Washington, DC.
Ghida Abdulatef Ahmed, Graphic Designer / Visual artist
Ghida is a Yemeni graphic designer and visual artist who works as a freelance designer for social media platforms. She’s passionate about helping underrepresented people and has worked at several institutes as a trainer for graphic design programs. For instance, she worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as a designer and photographer, participated in the filming of a video that showed the devastation caused by the war in Aden, Yemen, as well as the suffering and needs of the displaced people in the refugee camps. She holds a BA from Lebanese International University in the department of design and advertising. As a volunteer for MENA AGE, she designs social media content.
Sima Aldardari, Content Creator
Sima Aldardari is a research and development worker from Damascus, Syria. Sima holds a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from the American University of Beirut and an M.A. in Conflict, Governance, and International Development from the University of East Anglia, as well as an M.A. in Arab Studies with a concentration on Development from Georgetown University. She spent six years in Lebanon working with fellow Syrians in refugee camps as a teacher for Syrian children and a campaign and event organizer. Sima hopes to add to knowledge production in the Arab region through researching and analyzing cultural and social patterns in the diverse Arab societies. Research Interests: Development, displacement, anthropology of the Arab world, local governance, and gender studies.
Alaa Al-Eryani, Gender Consultant & Producer
Alaa Al-Eryani is a gender equality advocate and Women Deliver Young Leader Alumna. She is the founder of the Yemeni Feminist Movement (YFM) platform. Born out of the frustration of women being constantly sidelined throughout Yemen’s political instability and war, the YFM is the first Yemeni feminist online platform. It raises awareness about feminism and discriminatory laws and practices against women in Yemen. In addition to working as a gender consultant and producer at MENA AGE, Alaa is the content manager of Banat Al-Youm, an online platform that empowers young Arab girls through inspiring storytelling, resources, and content.
Sarah Al-Eryani, Marketing & Communications Specialist
Sarah is a marketer, gender equality advocate and writer. She grew up in different countries in the MENA region, as well as Europe and Australia. She noticed the gender gap differences between the different regions, which inspired her to be a gender equality advocate. She has experience in the marketing field where she worked for different companies and NGOs, such as General Motors and Oxfam. She is currently studying her MBA in Marketing Communications at the University of Melbourne.
Addie Block, Writer and Researcher
Addie Block is a PhD student in Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Michigan and is pursuing a certificate in Community Action and Research. Addie’s research centers on language ideologies and language policies concerning Tamazight and Arabic in Morocco. As a graduate of the Arabic Flagship Program, Addie speaks Arabic (MSA, Moroccan Darija, Egyptian), and is currently studying Tamazight and French. Addie has also conducted language and intercultural training for the Arabic Flagship Programs at the University of Maryland and Indiana University. Addie earned a BA in Geography and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of Texas. Addie has studied, worked, and volunteered in Morocco for three years. Addie has worked with women and youth primarily through volunteering in Austin ISD with refugee students, volunteering at a Dar Shabaab and Juvenile Correctional Facility, and working with Rustic Pathways. As a volunteer for MENA AGE, Addie serves on the Research and Writing Team as well as the Grants Team.
Zoe Bourne, Intern
Zoe is currently pursuing a BA in Business with a minor in Communications at George Washington University. During her freshman year she worked in the international development field as a consultant for a Ugandan Technology company while studying international affairs and Arabic.
Areig Elhag, Media Specialist
Areig is an experienced journalist working with Al-Hurra TV- MBN. She has a Master’s degree in Physics and a Certificate in National Security. She currently lives in the US and is pursuing a second Master’s in "International Relations" from Maxwell School. Areig believes that equal representation for women in politics and work should be protected by the law in Sudan and the MENA region.
Somaya Gama, Producer, Presenter and Content Creator
Somaya is a Yemeni digital nomad, who works as a content creator on her social media platforms and collaborates with other media platforms, taking the rolls of a producer, host, writer and other media-related work. She also organizes educational trips and retreats to some of the countries she has visited. Her previous projects were with UNESCO in Yemen where she produced five videos on Yemeni Heritage. Her content promotes women empowerment, equality and humanity. As a volunteer for MENA AGE, she contributes to the production of the videos and social media content.
Shallom Abla Lumor, Social Media Specialist
Shallom Abla Lumor is a gender advocate, media practitioner and trainer in corporate communications. She has a strong interest in development and policy issues, especially ethics and transparency in governance. Her passion for helping women and girls led her to start a local NGO which aims at improving upon the learning of school children and empowering women and girls both financially and psychologically. She is currently championing the fight against period poverty in the rural communities of the Volta Region. Furthermore, Shallom was a YALI Alumni of Cohort 9 group in 2018. Prior to her professional career, Shallom earned a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations and a Master's Degree in Development Communication from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. Shallom also has experience in news-reporting and featuring-writing for which she has won major awards, including the Best Student Journalist of the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2012 and the Best Court and Crime Reporter of the GJA Volta Awards in 2017. Shallom hopes to carry her civil society activism for women and girls into mainstream politics. She was the youngest woman to have contested for the Council Of State in the Volta Region of Ghana and is currently working with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency as Community Relations Officeholder.
Najat Mohamed, Gender Specialist and Researcher
Najat is a consultant clinical pharmacist, writer, gender mainstreaming consultant, PEM in pregnant/lactating women and school-age children researcher. Additionally, she is the founder of several feminist movements including The Pan Africanist Women’s Movement that aspires to bring together African women from all 54 states to tackle gender parity issues on a continental level.
Milad Pournik, Senior Gender Analyst
Milad Pournik is a member of the 2018 UN Young Professional Program Roster for Social Affairs. He has worked as a Policy Analyst for the World Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) at UCLA. Milad also served as a consultant for the World Bank Gender and Development team and with Management Systems International (MSI). During his tenure as a Research Associate with the Global Gender Program at George Washington University, he published a working paper on Civil Society Organizations and Empowerment of Women and Girls in Iran. Prior to beginning his professional career, Milad interned with the Women’s National Committee of Yemen and UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States. Milad received a Masters in Global Policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Economic and International Relations from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Nisreen Shadad, Marketing Director
With six published articles and seven years of international work experience, Nisreen Shadad utilizes her profession in marketing to raise awareness of global affairs such as climate change, gender equality as well as to promote education, fight poverty and encourage sustainable economies in developing countries. In the past, Nisreen has worked with humanitarian organizations in Yemen for three years to tackle hunger and promote equal rights of education. After taking an educational trip to Russia, she obtained her Master’s Degree in International Business and joined scientific researchers in investigating economical solutions to reduce GHGs emissions. During her professional life, Nisreen obtained several awards for her research work and represented her country in international conferences and events including the World Festival of Youth and Students in 2017 and the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
Jing Xie, Finance and Fundraising Associate
Jing Xie recently graduated from George Washington University with a degree in Finance and Economics and will join the Johns Hopkins University’s Master of Science in Business Analytics and Risk Management program. In the past, she interned at the International Monetary Fund, where she discovered her passions in the international development field and in helping the underserved communities in developing countries. In MENA Age, she works with the grants team to develop financial plans and sponsorship relationships.