Menna Roshdy
Menna Roshdy is a human rights and women’s rights activist. She graduated with honors from the American University in Cairo (AUC) with a degree in Political Science and a double minor in Arabic and Islamic Civilization and History. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law at AUC. She is a socially engaged student, participating in several organizations and working with different university offices. She was one of the organizers of an anti-sexual harassment campaign, a CBL project between AUC and Resala Association for Charity. She worked at the Office of Student Well-being assisting disabled students with their academic lives. She also assisted disabled students as a volunteer with the Helm organization. She is currently working on a project at the Center of Egyptian Women Legal Assistance (CEWLA).
Maxwell Botrous
Throughout Maxwell Botrous’ career he has joined various institutions at home and abroad that operate locally, regionally, and/or internationally. These experiences have helped him form new skills and sharpen already existent ones. On the top of the list of his acquired skills lies working with different nationalities, the capacity to communicate in diverse settings, and cultural sensitivity. Majoring in political science was a natural fit for him. While in high school, he started a journey of career discovery by creating his own political discourse channel through rap music. This channel caught the attention of regional organizations such as the League of Arab States, and eventually even reaching international organizations such as the United Nations’ World Food Programme. Through his communication skills and interest in politics he finds great joy in working in the field creating new bonds and relationships with people from different backgrounds while, at the same time, applying analytical research and reporting skills. He is passionate about having an impact on society and regards it as a self-rewarding process that fulfills his aspirations and achieves dual goals of personal and communal interests. His future goal is to create an NGO that focuses on conflict resolution and spreading a culture of tolerance and diversity appreciation.
Hend El Ghazaly
Hend graduated from Cairo University in 2015 with a degree in Political Science, and from the Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CILAS) in 2016 with a degree in Liberal Arts. She is currently a co-fellow at the Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CILAS), where she co-taught a course called, “Post-Colonialism, Modernity and Politics.” She is a co-director of the Research and Translation labs in the same institute. She co-authored an academic paper, “Is there a civic learning environment in the Faculty of Economics and Political Science?” that was featured at the Civic Role of Arab Universities Conference in April 2016, organized by Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs and the Lebanese Association for Educational Studies at the American University of Beirut. She is interested in Urban Development studies as she sees it as a physical manifestation of power relations, and believes that it is a product of and produces social interactions. She likes to observe the movement and interactions of people with the streets, each other, and transportation, in their everyday life. She participated in the, “Urbanism and Social Justice,” workshop organized by 10 Tooba for applied research on the urban environment, and gave a presentation on the politics of mobility in the city. Lastly, she likes to listen to Ali Al Haggar songs and gatherings at Abdeen garden.
Amal Maher Eltahawy
Amal Maher Tahawy graduated from the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management at Suez Canal University. She worked at AYB-SCU, a branch of AYB (Alashanek ya Baladi Association for Sustainable Development), starting as an HR employee, then becoming HR director for two years. Amal was the first female president of AYB Ismailia. The following year she became a member of AYB Association, and was responsible for supervising the Port Said branch. In addition, she worked with Takatof-SCU as a coordinator of the Tourism’s Triple Effect Team, where they worked on a project to solve the blood crisis in Egypt. Amal is a co-founder of Firan, the first student club at a tourism school in Egypt, which works on three projects: qualifying students to work in tourism clubs, tourism promotion, and discovering unknown tourist destinations in Egypt. She then joined the Lazord Fellowship and now works as a manager at Pro-Pledge Group.
Alaa Allouh
Alaa is a Syrian living in Egypt. In 2016, Alaa Allouh graduated from the School of Economics and Political Science at Future University in Egypt with a degree in Political Science and a new passion for civil, social, and human developmental work. She was keen on exposing herself to new practical ideas and experiences that would boost and develop the skills she needed to pursue a professional career in this field. Alaa’s motivation for this profession roots greatly in the strong belief that seeking knowledge in this direction/field will one day be extremely useful to help rebuild her country.
Since November 2016, she has worked as a documentation and communication officer with the Community Empowerment of refugees in Egypt, implemented by Terre des hommes based in Cairo, Egypt, and funded by the UNHCR. She has excelled in building authentic relationships with both the project team and beneficiaries. She has also proven how well she could work under pressure. Dedicated to advancing her projects, she never hesitates to take initiative and to perform tasks that is not required of her, such as translating texts from English to Arabic, and helping her colleagues create a filing system for hard copies of refugee applications. She helped organize a volunteering experience in India. This experience in turn helped her learn and explore different things that are outside her everyday life realities.
Alaa never misses a chance to explore things that would stimulate and benefit her mind and soul. She follows everything that intrigues her passions and beliefs, never ceasing to seek fulfilling experiences that will show her how to improve her life and what she can continue to achieve.
Ahmed Elsawy
I began my journey as one of the top students at the military academy but later chose a path that allowed me to connect more deeply with people, fostering creativity and finding a safe space to develop my skills and pursue my passion. Through extensive volunteer work, I gained valuable experience in independent research, initiative, and self-motivation. I volunteered as a case worker with the Community Development Association, managing the funding process for families, and later excelled as a PR specialist, writing analytical reports for the President and General Secretary.
Driven by my passion for community service, I transitioned into roles supporting refugees, working as a case manager and facilitator with Terre des Hommes, where I delivered training on reducing violence in schools. I then had the opportunity to join UNAIDS as a Social Mobilization and Youth Coordinator, where I further developed my skills in communication, PR, M&E, strategic planning, and management. My role also involved providing technical support to governmental organizations and NGOs.
Additionally, I worked as a Projects Coordinator at Educate Me Foundation, contributing to the improvement of public schools, and served as a Branch Manager at Masr Al Mahrousa Balady Association.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to shift my career from the NGO sector to the corporate world. Despite this transition, I remained committed to my passion for volunteering and worked on enhancing my skills by earning a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Now, I’m thrilled and confident to return to the field where I truly feel I belong. I’ve joined a promising and inspiring foundation close to my heart.
Merqah Foundation focuses on social and medical services, striving to make a positive impact across Egypt. I’m proud to be part of a dedicated team working to create meaningful change. where I continue to apply my diverse skill set and leadership experience.
These experiences have enhanced my capabilities and fuelled my ongoing dedication to making a meaningful impact.
Ahmed Adel Taher
After graduating from his studies in philosophy, Ahmed decided to explore working with children in different fields. This encouraged him to follow the educational track in civil society. He worked on creating a database of educational organizations in Egypt, focusing on marginalized areas, to add them to the development map.
Makouk helped him discover different educational tools through coordinating trainings for facilitators outside of Cairo.
He would like to have the ability to understand the concept of civic education and how to apply it in Egypt by doing activities through games and sharing with children in schools.
Ahmad Abdelgalil
Ahmad Abdelgalil holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cairo University and pursued a post-graduate diploma in Management focused on Non-profit Organizations. His professional journey revolves around his passion for Youth Empowerment, Social Entrepreneurship, Economic Empowerment, Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Gender equality.
In 2017, he was recognized with the “LAZORD” Fellowship from The American University in Cairo for his valuable contributions to social development initiatives.
In 2022, Ahmad was awarded the Professional Fellowship by the U.S. State Department, affording him a month-long opportunity at the DC Department of Employment Services to deepen his understanding of youth empowerment strategies in the USA and enhance his interventions in his home region.
Currently, he serves as a Youth and Adolescents Development Officer at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Prior to this, he held the role of Gender & Economic Empowerment Specialist at Plan International Egypt, contributing to the Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs in Egypt project (SWEET).
Ahmad spent five impactful years at “Ashoka Arab World,” where he supported more than 118 social entrepreneurs dedicated to tackling pressing social issues in the Arab world. In this role, he facilitated the scaling of their impact, replication of successful models, and catalyzed systemic change within their respective fields.
He has also lent his expertise as a research assistant at “The Economist” for the Global Health Index Project and served as a Monitoring and Evaluation Team Leader at “OXFAM” for the Youth Employment Project (WiP).
During his undergraduate years, Ahmad held significant leadership roles, including President of the Faculty of Economics’ Student Union and a member of Cairo University’s Student Council. In these positions, he worked tirelessly to enhance the educational environment for over 300,000 students.
Abdulrahman Al Rawas
AbdelRahman is a Syrian living in Egypt. He works at Syria El-Ghad, which is sponsored by UNHRC. He is a project manager of the Livelihood Project, and since 2012, he has been involved in the development field as a volunteer and an employee.
In 2017, he graduated from Ain Shams University, from the Faculty of Commerce in the Department of Business Administration. As a student at Ain Shams University, he participated in several student activities, such as Model Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (MOIC) and the Model Of American Congress (MAC).
Last year, he started as an information analyst on the Livelihood Project. After proving his competence and ability to manage a team, AbdelRahman was honored at the end of the project by being asked to become the project manager this year. In addition, he has been, and is currently a volunteer on several volunteer teams (related to the Syrian community in Egypt).
AbdelRahman hopes to continue developing his skills in the field of humanitarian work and is dedicated to provide what he can especially when it comes to economic empowerment to refugee communities.
Heba Shama
Heba Shama is an architect with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from the American University in Cairo (AUC). Heba was involved in several projects that focused on reclaiming the right to public spaces and proposing physical interventions to overcome social issues such as women and girls’ safety, children’s rights to play, and encouraging mutual acceptance between local communities and refugees. Heba is currently working with Takween Integrated Community Development (ICD) in the framework of a project for the British Museum, where she works on documenting the vernacular architecture of the village of Shutb while trying to engage with the community on building a collective appreciation for the local tangible and intangible heritage.
Shama grew up in South Sinai where she is currently involved on a project, “Strengthening Protected Areas’ Financing and Management Systems,” with the Operational Unit for Development Assistance for UNDP Egypt. She is also involved as a teaching assistant for the USAID program, “English Access Micro-scholarship Program.” Heba is working as a voluntary art workshop co-facilitator with Tur-Sinai Youth Center, which collaborates effectively in delivering a diverse range of visual arts-based workshops to young children. Shama has a special interest in working on relief operations and education and refugee-oriented initiatives, especially on initiatives that focus on children.
Heba considers herself as a multidisciplinary designer. She is an architect who is interested in the visual and literary expression of cultures; a philanthropist with a strong passion to work with, learn from, and empower the local communities. This is an identity that she developed through her participation with the Lazord Fellowship. Recently, she has become a graphic designer, and sometimes considers herself as an amateur photographer who enjoys taking photos with her cellphone camera.