Despite recent reports highlighting the increasing discrimination against women in Egypt, the Women’s Initiative Fellows are...
Despite recent reports highlighting the increasing discrimination against women in Egypt, the Women’s Initiative Fellows are courageously facing these challenges. Building upon the leadership training and skills they received during the U.S. portion of the Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Fellowship, the Fellows are actively working to improve their communities and country. We believe these women will continue to play a powerful role in effecting change in their communities and are proud of their accomplishments. Individually, these women are strong; as a class, they form a resilient circle with a powerful vision for the future of their beloved country. Meet Sara:
Sara Elmatbouly
2013 Fellow
Women’s Initiative Fellowship
“Most of my success stories are on the personal level… I discovered that I can always make a change even by helping one person. I learned to be strong and stand up for myself and for others. I learned to believe that I can!”
A successful lawyer, Sara Elmatbouly reports that she has used all the skills acquired from the Fellowship program throughout the last year in both her personal and professional life to achieve her success. Sara is passionate about working with the disabled community, particularly the blind, in Egypt. Due to the curfew in Egypt, Sara’s law firm hours were disrupted so she took advantage of her extra time to research and identify opportunities for the blind community. She is using her legal background to support this community, identifying companies that employ the blind, helping update their resumes,and informing them of their rights under the law. Over the last year, Sara has been working to ensure that rights for disabled individuals are included in Egypt’s constitution.
Sara is currently taking a course from the American Bar Association on intellectual property. Recently, Sara joined her other Fellows and facilitated a training session for the Women’s Initiative Fellowship in Egypt, cascading what she learned in the program. Over 75 women attended the session, and Sara says that “the workshop is one of my greatest achievements of the year. It was the first time for me to give a training, and I loved the fact that I could teach people something.”
Sara holds a Master’s Degree in Public International Law from Université Jean Moulin Lyon in France, and worked as a Legal Consultant at an international law firm in Egypt. Sara recently took a position as a Legal Associate for an international law firm based in the United Arab Emirates. Sara aspires to utilize her knowledge and legal expertise to impact positive change in Egypt.
