Nasawiyas are currently working on the following projects and initiatives:
Ghayreh 3adtik: Feminist Tools for Change
“Ghayreh 3adtik Bitzeed S3adtik” is a training program for women on how to use a feminist analysis to bring about change. Primarily targeted at young women, its objective is to provide them with the knowledge, tools and resources on organizing for change, be it by undertaking legal reform, grassroots pressure, building a community, raising awareness, creating support groups, or running for public office – all from a gender perspective. To book your sessions or find out more, please write to Farah at farah[at]nasawiya.org or Rania at ran.ignatios[at]gmail.com.
Check out the latest news from the Ghayri 3adtik initiative.
Take Back the Tech
As members of the global collective Take Back the Tech, we work on reclaiming information and communication technology (ICT) to promote gender equality. Through specialized workshops led by women experts in their fields and related initiatives, we aim to:
Encourage, train, and support young women to use ICTs creatively, purposefully, and efficiently;
Encourage girls to geek up and venture into tech-related careers;
Promote a gender lens among tech initiatives in the Arab world, especially those in the non-profit sector;
Create and support online initiatives, programs, and applications to fight violence against women;
Bridge feminism and communication rights in the Arab World.
To learn more about the initiative and/or sign up for upcoming workshops, write to Nadine on n.moawad[at]gmail.com. You can check out all updates from Take Back the Tech here.
Sawt Al Niswa
Created and managed by a group of young women living in Lebanon, our feminist webspace, Sawt Al Niswa (Women’s Voice), is designed to function as a pool of knowledge. It hosts the various social and political commentaries by women, while questioning the kind of feminist discourse they want to speak and express themselves through. The voice(s) within the website contribute to the construction of an Arab feminist discourse, reflecting a spectrum of Arab realities.
To join the editorial team or send contributions, please write to Sara at editor[at]sawtalniswa.com. You can read the latest news about Sawt Al Niswa here.
The Feminist House
Our Feminist House in Beirut is home to daily activities, meetings, and workshops. The House is open every day (except Sundays) from 9am till 8pm and serves as a shared space for all the initiatives. Feminist Discussions take place every Friday and are open-invitation gatherings for members, friends and interested individuals to explore and discuss issues and topics of interest from a feminist perspective. Discussions may revolve around a film, a hot topic, a book, a newspaper article, a law, etc.
To visit us, check out our contact page and the latest House activities here.
The Adventures of Salwa
The Adventures of Salwa is a campaign created by four young women to raise awareness around sexual harassment through a series of videos and illustrations depicting the daily life of young Salwa. You can join the campaign’s Facebook group to check the videos and visit this link to read the latest news. You can email ran.ignatios[at]gmail.com for more information.
Coalitions and Networks
Nasawiya is a member of the Coalition for legalizing the protection of women from family violence in Lebanon. We also co-created and work with Zolah, an Arab Network of Young Feminists to build support for young Arab women activists in the region.
Women’s Resource Center
The Women’s Resource Center is a new initiative within Nasawiya that aims at building a library of books, multimedia, brochures, magazines, newspaper, periodicals, articles and electronic documents. Its purpose is to collection information and legal data related to women’s status in Lebanon and the region, in addition to organizing discussion groups around current events and new resources. For more info, email tqiblawi[at]gmail.com.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (March 8th) is a fixture on Nasawiya’s calendar. Every year, the collective comes up with different actions and events to hold around and on that day to raise awareness about women’s issues and set a reminder of the work that still needs to be done in the name of gender justice.
Labor Day
Labor Day (May 1st) is another fixture on Nasawiya’s calendar during which the collective celebrates achievements of workers and pushes for further labor-related changes in the name of social justice.
Migrant Workers Task Force
Through joint initiatives and/or stand-alone projects, Nasawiya undertakes to highlight the plight of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon and the Arab World and combat the discrimination they are subjected to. You can read our posts for updates on related actions and events.
The Lebanese Laïque Pride
The Lebanese Laïque Pride is a march for secularism in Lebanon, organized by Lebanese citizens who are calling for:
the non-interference of the State in the citizen’s religion and the non-interference of religion in the State’s affairs;
the liberation of the people’s representatives from their allegiance to the leaders of religious confessionalism;
laws that respect human rights and absolute equality between women and men;
a Lebanese civil code for personal status;
- the reinforcement of public schooling at the service of citizenship education;
- the guarantee of equal opportunities employment in the civil service on the basis of competence;
an independent judicial power that protects the rights of the citizen and prevents him from resorting to his tribal society.
The march is an annual event, in which Nasawiya takes part as a feminist block.