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UNESCO Cairo Office and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning launch Women, Family & Community Project

Ahead of International Literacy Day 2023, the UNESCO Cairo Office, in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, launched the Women, Family & Community (WFC) project in Egypt. From 2023 to 2025, the WFC project will benefit 500 illiterate women from the Aswan, Giza and Damietta governorates. A teaching and learning package that responds directly to the needs and realities of these women will empower them, their families, and their communities by equipping them with knowledge and skills essential to thrive in their communities.

8 September 2023

Last update:11 September 2023

Literacy is the passport towards the future to achieve the social, economic and environmental empowerment of Egyptian woman.

Dr Mohamed Yehia Nassef President, Adult Education Authority Egypt

The WFC learning package offers a broad, holistic curriculum with modules on social and emotional learning, family and intergenerational literacy and learning, civic education, community development, and global citizenship education. Acknowledging the significance of a gender-sensitive approach in climate action, the WFC curriculum places notable emphasis on education for sustainable development, with a particular focus on environmental and climate education. In addition, with the aim of promoting the economic empowerment of disadvantaged women in rural areas, the project will address financial literacy and entrepreneurship. The initiative is aligned with UNESCO’s revised Framework for Culture and Arts Education, introducing technical and vocational education and training programmes to safeguard intangible cultural heritage and foster cultural and creative industries.

A contribution to implementing the Marrakech Framework for Action

The WFC project will support Egypt in implementing the , adopted at the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (). By addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by vulnerable women in Egypt, the project contributes to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, as demanded by Sustainable Development Goal 5, and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all, as enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 4.