South Egypt Development Association at Qena (SEDAQ)

Sedaq promotes the political participation of women on an international level by cooperating with European organizations. It also raises awareness of women's reproductive health and violence against women—especially FGM. It also seeks to economically empower women by helping them start small businesses and providing them with training in project management.

Main Activity:

Training courses, seminars, round tables, field research, project evaluation, workshops, legal support for battered women

Ongoing projects

• Child Emergency Hotline Project, in collaboration with the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood
• Fighting Eye Diseases Project, in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy in Cairo - Empowering Egyptian Families Project, in collaboration with the National Population Council
• A project that encourages resolving tribal conflicts in Qena through dialogue, funded by the organization
• A center for training local organizations
• Job opportunities for women in Qena, funded by the World Bank and the Sawiris Foundation for Development
• "Our Future Is in Our Hands" initiative, which encourages youth to participate in local councils, funded by the Ministry of Social Solidarity

Past projects

• Protecting Children in Danger, in collaboration with Caritas Egypt
• Political Development for Women Project in Markaz Qena, funded by the Canadian Embassy in Cairo
• Environmentally-Friendly Transportation Project, supported by the Global Environment Facility
• Women's Access to Reproductive Health Services Project, supported by the Australian Embassy in Cairo
• Political Development for Women Project in Qena, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Cairo
• Supporting Women's Political Participation Project in Qena, supported by UN Women Egypt
• A project that encouraged the employment of young women at initiatives for women and children's healthcare, funded by the Social Fund for Development
• Egyptian Parliamentary Elections Awareness Project in 2015, funded by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems in four governorates: Luxor, Qena, Sohag, and Assiut
• Election observation (the organization trained 400 young people on the proper way to observe elections)
• Sedaq represented Egypt in various anti-violence against women international conferences in Tunisia, Morocco, Dubai, Canada, France, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria and Turkey, presenting its successful stories in awareness and political empowerment for women. Books produced by the organization have been also showcased; including "Political Literacy", "Women's Guide to Political Literacy", "Reproductive Health Literacy", "Women's Guide to Health Literacy" and "Resolving Conflicts through Conversation".

Future projects

• Anti-FGM campaigns in Egypt, funded by the World Bank
• Economic map project that is up-to-date with economic opportunities for women all over Egypt

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