The Association for Women’s Total Advancement and Development (AWTAD) is an NGO dedicated to the professional and personal development of Egyptian women and youth as a means to empower them on both the social and economic level.  Through training sessions, workshops, mentoring programs, and knowledge-sharing events, we aim to create a trust based network that facilitates the exchange of ideas and expertise. We believe this is essential to give women and youth the encouragement they need to implement their business ideas, as well as to foster a culture of entrepreneurship in Egyptian society, which AWTAD strongly supports and actively encourages.  Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which constitute a significant portion of Egypt’s economic fabric, are also deserving of our attention.  We help small producers (particularly women) access a variety of tools that may help them enhance their businesses: legal, financial, and marketing advice; consultancy with product developers and designers; and virtual platforms which give access to a wider market. As a result, they increase their revenue, and we help create more sustainable jobs.  We help create an entrepreneur-friendly environment, encouraging more and more Egyptians to bring their business ideas into the formal sector.

Our Vision:  We aim for Egyptian women and youth to reach their full potential, as we believe they are key agents for social, economic, and health development.
Our Mission: To empower and engage the community, as well as to mobilize the role of women and youth as key development agents, by effectively managing Egypt’s human capital.
Our Strategy:   Our strategy involves enabling women specifically, and youth more  generally, to collaborate in pursuing mutual goals. We work with different sectors and organizations to target common areas of interest, and coordinate on multiple levels with all our programs and partners.
Our Objectives (CARE):
 Create a trust-based network that facilitates knowledge-sharing,
exchange of ideas, and increases B2B prospects.
 Advocate issues related to SMEs and Civil Society.
 Revitalize the culture of collective action, reciprocity, volunteerism, and entrepreneurship in Egypt.
 Enhance the capabilities, skills, and health of Egyptian women and youth. AWTAD works in four main areas:

Empowerment of women
Employability
Handicrafts revival and sustainability
 Entrepreneurship
AWTAD’s Impact in 13 years:
9 main programs and 9 subprograms
100’s of training sessions
25 awareness events
35 networking events
4 corporate ambassador conferences
5000 people in our outreach network
20 sponsors and grantors
Regional Impact and Outreach
22 000 members in global network, 2100 businesswomen outreach throughout the MENA Region
200 events
14 000 people in our outreach network
15 regional advocacy campaigns – 4 of those campaigns have resulted in a change in administrative policy or public awareness –

94% or participants have reported benefits to their business as a result of participation in a program resulting in a 7.7% increase in the number of women employed by female participants
57% of participants established new business-to-business partnerships
350 news articles in local newspapers and television coverage have featured Network Hubs and the Middle East and North Africa Business women’s Network (MENA BWN).