World Bank report commends Egypt’s mental health initiative for women

08 / 03 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

Egypt’s initiative for women “Our Mental Health Is a Priority” – which was issued in May 2020 – was commended by the World Bank report “ Women, Business and the Law 2021.

The report – which was issued at the end of February – wrote “For some families, heightened health anxieties coupled with economic pressures have exacerbated already combustible domestic relationships, which has increased victims’ mental stress. To combat this situation, the Arab Republic of Egypt launched the “Our Mental Health Is a Priority” initiative in May 2020. With the help of psychologists and professional institutions, this initiative has supported the mental health of

Egyptian women and has raised the public’s awareness of mental health during this challenging time.”

Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania El Mashat announced that Egypt is mentioned as one of the countries globally that took positive strides in protecting the health and safety of women in dire times, as per the World Bank report.

According to the “Women, Business, and The Law 2021” World Bank report, Egypt scores an average 45 out of 100 for its WBL index, measuring the economic empowerment of women. The index consists of mobility, workplace, pay, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets, and pension. Egypt scored highest in pension with 100 points, followed by 75 in both entrepreneurship and workplace.

Egypt’s “Our Mental Health is a Priority” initiative was launched in collaboration between the National Council for Women (NCW) and UN Women. It focused on raising awareness on the mental health issues caused by the pandemic, and on supporting the mental health of Egyptian women in specific.

Together with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of International Cooperation with the USAID launched a community outreach program supporting the Egyptian Red Crescent’s (ERC) network of 30,000 volunteers and health professionals. The agreement aimed to conduct community outreach and help prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as build ERC’s capacity to respond to future crises. Prioritizing the importance of mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the USAID also assisted ERC in providing psycho-social support services to health workers so that they would continue to serve the public.

“It is very important to know that when you’re vulnerable you’re not alone” El Mashat expressed through social media channels, stating that mental health is something that affects us all particularly during the pandemic..

Women are at the forefront of the Government of Egypt’s development plan. By the end of February 2021, the Ministry of International Cooperation and the National Council for Women launched the Action Plan for implementing the “Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator” in collaboration with the private sector, and in partnership with the World Economic Forum to unleash the full potential of Egyptian women.

The Ministry of International Cooperation’s 2020 Annual Report titled “International Partnerships for Sustainable Development: Writing the Future in a Changing Global Dynamic” cites that 34 projects, worth $3.3 billion, are being executed to achieve the targets of gender equality, with the top targeted sectors including Health (20%), Education (14%), and Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) (15%).