This year, to celebrate the International Women’s Day (8th of March), ENI CBC Med Programme has decided to give voice to Mediterranean women who break gender stereotypes in the place where they live.

From 2nd to 8th March 2022, we will publish a series of 7 portraits on a daily basis highlighting stories of women who have succeeded in breaking the bias in their own community also through their participation in ENI CBC Med funded projects. Whether they live in Europe or in the Middle East, whether they are fond of sports or work with vulnerable people, whether they are starting their career or are seniors in their jobs, they all have an incredible story to tell.

Joumana Sweiss, officer at ENI CBC Med Programme's Branch Office for the Western Mediterranean, has interviewed them, and she realised that despite the different backgrounds, they all share a common value: believing in meritocracy above all to reach their goals. All of them mentioned education as a powerful tool to make the society a fairer and more inclusive place for women. We hope you will enjoy reading these articles and discover the stories of these women who make a difference in the Mediterranean. 

We would like sincerely thank the following women for taking time to share their powerful stories:

• Aisha Salem from Gaza, Palestine (partner in FISH MED NET project): read her portrait
• Federica Ditta from Sicily, Italy (final beneficiary of GIMED project): read her portrait
• Amira Shawky from Alexandria, Egypt (involved in YEP MED project): read her portrait
• Karidja Diabate from Ivory Coast living in Sicily, Italy (final beneficiary of MoreThanAJob project): read her portrait
• Farah Dawoud from Amman, Jordan (partner in REUSEMED project): read her portrait
• Tamara Awartani from Ramallah, Palestine (partner in Skills4Sports): read her portrait
• Davinia González from Valencia, Spain (final beneficiary of InnovAgroWoMed project): read her portrait