On the land of one of the oldest ancient civilizations, where many of the world's inventions were born, the earliest form of reading and writing — Hieroglyphic text — was introduced by the great pharos. This form of text was used to record the history of a great civilization that has dazzled people all over the world until the 21st century. Today, on the very same land, lives Amal, a 35-year-old woman and a mother of three children. Born and raised in one of the least fortunate areas of Egypt, Sharqeya was the only place that Amal knew. She had six siblings, four of which were boys, who were seen as the future backbone to the household. Fathy, the eldest brother, was perceived as the brightest of all. His father decided to send him to school, so that he would be the one taking care of all affairs of the uneducated father. Amal has longed to go to school with her brother Fathy. Her parents extremely objected the idea. “'You don't need education, a girl's real place is at home to take care of a family and a husband' – that was my mother's famous quote,” said Amal. As a result, Amal has lived as an illiterate woman for all those years. She once wanted to visit a doctor in Cairo, “I couldn't travel by myself as I am not able to read the signs of the train station,” she said. Seeking a job to improve her family's income, Amal came across an NGO in the year 2008. Inspired by one of the ladies who worked there, Amal decided to join the Education for a Better Life Program. In one year, Amal was able to read and write, and also start a small business of natural soap production in her neighborhood. “I feel that I was born once again,” “I wouldn't have also done it without my husband's support,” added Amal. When asked about what does she intend to do after having learned how to read and write, in addition to life management skills concepts introduced in class, Amal indicated that she intends to expand her soap business to generate more income and send all her three kids to school. “I do not want my daughters to go through what I have been through. “We will now work on supporting our kids till secondary education.” Those were Amal's final comments. Amal was just one of the many Egyptian women who were deprived of education. The Education for a Better a Life initiative has made many of Amal's neighbors and friends just as more empowered as she is. –UNIFEM This article was contributed by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to celebrate UN Day.
