Hypatia Foundation

Category: Local Organization
Target groups: Women, children and youth
Main field: Social empowerment; education
Setting: Urban and rural
Founded by a group of young people interested in disseminating knowledge and encouraging self-expression, Hypatia works on promoting the dissemination and creation of knowledge that is not subject to any kind of monopoly. They rely on information technology and open source applications as well as drawing, music, and other creative tools in promoting human creativity. They work with marginalized communities, promoting artists' self-expression to support them in discuss their problems, and their local realities


Main Activity:

Documentation and awareness campaigns

Past projects

  • Shaja Project: This project aims to document violations committed against women in Upper Egypt, whether physical or psychological abuse. This is done through films, collecting data and short stories, developing statistics, investigative journalism, and other tools. By highlighting these problems and exposing the violator, women can claim their rights. Shaga is a black cloak that Upper Egyptian women wear.
  • Enriching Online Content Project: An initiative that aimed to enrich online content on Upper Egypt through publishing articles on Wikipedia, as well as media material on Google, Google Maps and Flickr, as well as providing opportunities for uploading Upper Egypt-centric videos on YouTube. It also encourages using alternative media for self-expression and raising awareness about the most pressing societal issues.
  • Bara El Manhag Project (Extracurricular): A project for children in primary education. The project dealt with child development and taught them how to deal with difficulties, how to communicate properly with others, accept others. It also worked with them on environmental awareness, social and political education. The project implemented basic principles of rights and duties to combat discrimination based on color, religion or weight for students in the primary stage, through organizing workshops and programs including story sessions and theatre activities. It also aimed to combat systematic violence practiced by some teachers on students, resulting in moral or physical violence.