Population Council Research that makes a difference

Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak
Visits Ishraq Girls in Fayoum

CAIRO, EGYPT (3 June 2010) — On 24 May, the first lady of Egypt, Suzanne Mubarak, visited the Governorate of Fayoum, where she met with 30 participants from the Ishraq program and one staff member. The visit coincided with her launch of an initiative to upgrade 100 schools in Fayoum. Mrs. Mubarak was accompanied by the governor of Fayoum as well as six Egyptian ministers, including Ambassador Moushira Khattab, the minister of state for Family and Population, and Dr. Safi El-Din Kharboush, the head of the National Council for Youth. Both Khattab and Kharboush had signed a tripartite agreement with the Population Council two weeks prior to collaborate on the implementation and institutionalization of the Ishraq project. Mrs. Mubarak met with the Ishraq girls on the recommendation of Dr. Sanaa Harun, advisor to the governor of Fayoum and dean of faculty of early childhood education at Fayoum University.

It was Mrs. Mubarak’s first time observing Ishraq in action. One Ishraq girl recited a poem summarizing the program and the impact it has had on her life and her village. Together, the girls sang a song about growing up in Egypt. Following the performances, the 30 girls and the staff member sat for a question-and-answer session with the first lady, where they explained Ishraq in more detail. Mrs. Mubarak was particularly interested in the reasons why some girls dropped out of Ishraq while others remained committed. The girls wore Ishraq sports training suits and posed for a photo with Mrs. Mubarak.

Ishraq is a project that brings marginalized adolescent girls into safe learning spaces in rural Upper Egypt. In 2001, the Population Council, in partnership with Caritas, Save the Children, the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), and the National Council for Youth (NCY), launched the Ishraq pilot program in the Governorate of El-Minya. Building on the success of the pilot, in November 2008, with a generous grant from the Minister for Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (through its embassy in Cairo), the Population Council with its partners Caritas, Teaming for Development (TFD, formerly CEDPA), and Save the Children embarked on a scale-up of Ishraq, targeting 30 new villages in three Egyptian governorates: Fayoum, Qena, and Souhag.

According to a report written by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cairo, during her visit to Fayoum the first lady discussed many issues vital to Ishraq’s framework, including reproductive health, sports, financial literacy, and the empowerment of rural adolescent girls through education. 

Mrs. Mubarak, who holds a master's degree in the sociology of education from the American University in Cairo, has made public education in Egypt a priority. In March 2008, she announced a wide initiative to improve government schools, stating that providing a decent education to Egypt’s youth is "the most important challenge we face for the progress of society."

Further information on Ishraq is available on the project page.

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Media contact
Abeer Salem: asalem@popcouncil.org; +20 2 2525 5967