SÛZAN EBÛ SAÎD

Beirut- Feminist movement in Lebanon renews itself every passing day. VVIP Women In Power, a non-profit women's professional network and development organization in Lebanon, held a meeting in the Zouk Mosbeh town of the Keserwan district, Lebanon’s Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, with the participation of leading women from different feminist associations to create a space for women in order to share their experiences and turn negatives into positives. The organization also aims to build a network of leading women having local and international experiences.

They want to develop new projects

Speaking to NuJINHA, Carole Hobeika, the president of the VVIP Women in Power, said, “The purpose of the meeting is to build a community and network consisting of women entrepreneurs from community leaders and decision-makers in various areas. In addition to supporting our society, we must try to improve ourselves and learn from the experiences of others. We have been struggling since 2017 to ensure this. We, as VVIP, have organized sports activities and supported old people. We have carried out projects along with experts from the Lebanon Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the World Bank. Through this network, we want to start a new project to increase women's participation in the labor force and politics and reach a large number of women.”

Women should be empowered in all spheres of life

Stating that she has been working as an internal medicine doctor in Lebanon for 15 years, expert Dr. Jocelyn Sasin said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, I felt how my profession is a sacred profession. This profession is not just a profession for men, we also need women doctors.” Emphasizing that women should be empowered in all spheres of life, particularly in the health sector, Jocelyn Sasin asked women to pay attention to their psychological and physical health.

“We can lead and change”

Digital marketing expert Dareen Saleh said, “Today, I am here to highlight the role of women in technology. I have developed an application called “Tech” consisting of a series of weekly educational short videos to raise awareness in the Arab world. This application will help our society in many ways.” Adding that every woman has a story to share, Dareen Saleh said, "We can lead and change."

Moral and material support

Afaf Mikhael, Executive Director at Entrepreneurial Development Foundation, talked about the activities of the foundation. “The foundation was founded in 1999 to provide support to people and serve them. Its main purpose is to provide employment opportunities. It has organized free training programs for people to contribute to the Lebanese economy. Our foundation has provided moral and material support. Until now, we have supported 76 percent of women and 39 percent of youth. We have provided financial support to more than five thousand people from all segments of our society.” Speaking about the role of the VVIP Women in Power, she said, “This organization focuses on women’s issues and education. One of its goals is to empower women. For this reason, I am one of the founders of the organization.”