By Hassan Bashir
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, (WAM) – As the world continues to battle the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, exemplary women from across the world have come together to lift off the psychological fatigue many of us have accumulated through a year of unprecedented hardship, and tell us how to not just survive but thrive during the COVID-19 crisis by harnessing our inner strength, in a campaign titled ‘Athena 40 – Voices of Tenacity’.
Comprising voices of forward-thinking women leaders in a podcast and short video interview series, the campaign is the latest endeavour of long-time strategic partners, Sharjah’s NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) and the London-based Global Thinkers Forum (GTF), under which Athena40 operates. Athena40 is a hybrid platform that creates opportunities for women to thrive, access new networks and showcase their achievements.
Delivering on NAMA’s mandate of promoting women’s empowerment by highlighting the journeys of female role models from diverse nationalities and socioeconomic backgrounds, this campaign features quotes by more than 40 leading women, and a podcast series, ‘Athena40 – Conversations with Women’ showcasing 12 forward-thinkers and decision-makers.
With unique experiences of women coming in from 20 countries, the campaign offers a truly global perspective on how nations worldwide, particularly women, have risen above the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic. Leveraging its exceptional network of women influencers, Athena40 has secured messages from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UK, Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, Turkey, Kuwait, Switzerland, Greece, USA, South Africa, Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Belgium, Chile and also in partnership with NAMA from the UAE, Kuwait and Brazil.
Prominent names include, HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan UNESCO Special Envoy for Science for Peace, British Philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley, Meera AlMheiri, Board Member at The Supreme Council of Motherhood and Childhood, Lawyer Diana Hamade, Mountaineer and Explorer Raha Moharrak, Mary Davis CEO Special Olympics, Nnenna Nwakanma Ambassador World Wide Web Foundation, Attiya Mahmood Ambassador (Rt) Pakistan, Brazilian entrepreneur Bel Pesce, and Dr Alanoud AlSharekh Director Ibtkar Consulting, and several others.
Elizabeth Filippouli, Founder & CEO of Athena40 said: “At the heart of all this, we have been granted a tremendous opportunity. To create a better world for the future generations. As women, let’s multiply the ways that we demonstrate our compassion and care for others. Let’s share messages of vision and hope, messages of endurance and resilience. This is what tenacity is about and we need to be tenacious to survive and thrive in an unpredictable world.”
“Hope is a powerful force during difficult times, and ‘Voices of Tenacity’ offers the tools to keep you motivated, find a new perspective or purpose, and drive social impact,” said Reem Bin Karam, Director of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment. “The women changemakers featured in our videos and podcasts have many of the answers and insights we need right now. Their empowering words will spur communities worldwide to take action by leveraging their creative vision to initiate positive changes.”
“We are brought into this world to serve a mission to do good for ourselves and for the people. And that good would be different according to the jobs you do, according to the roles that you take, but the ultimate purpose is to bring goodness for yourself and for others”, said Meera Hesham Al Mheiri, Board Member at The Supreme Council of Motherhood and Childhood.
Currently (as of September 2020) 21 women hold presidential positions and govern more than 500 million people globally. That is approximately 7 percent of the world’s population. From Bangladesh and Ethiopia to Georgia and Singapore, women have handled the Covid-19 crisis effectively and skilfully.
NAMA is a strategic partner of Global Thinkers Forum and has collaborated with the non-profit organisation to launch the Athena MENA Mentoring Programme in 2018 to take forward NAMA’s vision of empowering women with skills and expertise to enhance and enrich their personal and professional prospects.
