Asmaa, Maha and Lo’ai act as role models in “Dawwie”
“Dawwie” initiative changes the lives of its facilitators as they work with children
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“Dawwie” is a National initiative that seeks to empower girls in Egypt. Girls are encouraged to achieve their aspirations through expressing their opinions, speaking freely and sharing their stories. The three components of “Dawwie” are the storytelling circle, intergenerational dialogue, and digital learning training. Participating children and adolescents are encouraged to make decisions and develop their skills to achieve their dreams.
Apart from the girls and young women who benefit from this programme, “Dawwie” also enriches the lives of the volunteers. Asmaa Shaaban, Maha Abdelraayouf, and Lo’ai Hazem are three dedicated “Dawwie” volunteers at the Abo El Reesh Bahary youth center in Aswan. They share their stories of working with children through the “Dawwie” programme.
“When I find that the child is more confident, I feel like it is an achievement for me too. For example, there was that girl in the storytelling circle who used to be shy and stutter when she speaks. I encouraged her to join “Dawwie”’s interactive theater. Since then, she became more courageous and started to talk more confidently” explained Maha Abdelraaouf, aged 30, who joined “Dawwie” as a facilitator to give back to the girls in her community.
Asmaa Shaaban, shares her personal growth from volunteering as a facilitator in “Dawwie” storytelling circles. “I learned that I have to maintain eye contact with the participating children during storytelling. Because you can understand the child's feelings and whether the child relates to the story or not from the gaze.” said the 26-year-old.
In addition to the facilitators passion for working with the children, educational background, and field experience, they received special training to carry out “Dawwie” activities.
Loai Hazem is a university student who at 22 years old is one of the youngest volunteers. He is responsible for training the facilitators. “We work with children aged between 10 to 18 who are young and going through a lot of changes. Facilitators learn how to narrate the stories in a simple and exciting way that the child can understand''. Loai added that “Dawwie” is keen on having facilitators that are patient, emotionally intelligent, and have storytelling skills.
In 2022, “Dawwie” was placed under the auspices of H.E. Ms. Entissar El Sisi within the framework of the National Investment Framework for Girls and is currently implemented in more than 21 governorates in Egypt, led by the National Council for Women (NCW) and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM).
In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE), Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS), Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) and Ministry of Culture (MoC), Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MoICT), National Council for Persons with Disability (NCPD) and the National Population Council (NPC), and UNICEF.
