IWS Interview – Roaa Ahmed

Inspiring Women Series are to showcase some of the successful modest women out there, who succeed not inspite of their hijab but because of it.

Roaa Ahmed, 25 years, an Architecture graduate, volunteering queen & Project Manager at Enterprenelle.

When did you first start volunteering, and why was the idea appealing to you?

My first introduction to volunteering was when my friend took me to prepare Ramadan boxes with her at the AYB Club. After being introduced to the idea, I decided to apply to the committee involved with helping kids in rural areas. I started off with the entertainment aspect, I would go play with the kids and paint with them. However, that wasn’t fulfilling enough, I wanted a sustainable effect, not something momentary. The next year, I applied to the Education Committee where I helped teach kids through Art, something extraordinary and out of the box. Soon after, with AYB, we managed to open the first Montessori Kindergarten in a rural area, it still stands tall today, and is something I’m deeply proud to have been part of.

You volunteered in 57357, tell us more about that.

My third year of university was the hardest, both academically and it was the year I lost my beloved father, I was so lost. The first time I set foot in 57357 was on a site visit with my Uni to study the grand architecture of the hospital. Little did I know, I wasn’t only astonished by the architecture, but by the strongest children, those getting treatment in the hospital. The idea that they tolerated so much pain with smiles on their faces never failed to get me, I needed their support.. On the same day, I found my feet taking me to the volunteering department in the hospital where I applied to become a volunteer.

*Side Note: The volunteering department was one of the first departments to open in the hospital because providing emotional support to the patients speeds up the treatment effect!

What kind of obstacles faced you in your period of volunteering in 57357 and how did you face it?

Being Roaa, I never was one to like temporary solutions, I always looked for long-term, sustainable ones. An obstacle that faced me was seeing how happy & energetic the kids were when I was physically there with them, and how all that goes away when I have to leave them alone at night, it’s like I was never there.

When I researched, I found out that kids were scared of seeing blood bags, needles, the first appearance of a hospital crew, all that after I left them. Being me, I decided to fight that through ART! I turned the Gauze and Band-aids into paint brushes, I turned the empty room walls into an Art gallery and the child was no longer a patient, they were now artists in their art gallery. A funny story was how one of the children was so scared of the color red because of the blood, and when we ran out of red paint this one time, she asked me if we can use a blood bag instead? (we didn’t do it I promise) I was astonished with this extreme change. Long story short, whenever I wasn’t there anymore, their smiles didn’t fade, their drawings made them happy, on their own, with no one’s help…

How did an Architect end as a Project Manager at Enterprenelle?

I left architecture when I realized it was always me, my project and my computer, not much human interaction. Not only that, I felt that it was no longer adding to me and I wasn’t making a change where I was, so changes needed to be made.

But I needed to be financially independent, so I decided to become a part-timer rather than quit, and alongside, focus on self development to see where life will take me next. From there, I went and studied Advanced PR in the AUC and attended the “Trainer” program. I was finally ready to leave my job. I volunteered in Enterprenelle and from there, I became a Project Manager, and content manager in “She Can- 2019”, the leading Women Entrepreneurship event in the MENA region!

Do you believe that it’s harder for Women to become Entrepreneurs as opposed to men in Egypt?

At Entreprenelle, we don’t compare women to men because we believe we’re both just as capable, it’s just that we don’t seek opportunities enough, so our goal at Entreprenelle is to make sure women have the means & connections that will help them become successful Entrepreneurs.

All this talk about Entrepreneurship, you must have a Business idea you’d like to pursue one day?

There is one actually! I’d like to make paintings that express personalities. How? Easy… I’ll set several sessions where I’ll know more about people and draw a painting that reflects who they are. This way, it isn’t just a “painting’ on the wall, but it’s them, it’s part of them…

Is wearing Hijab hard? And what would you advise people struggling with Hijab?

I first wore Hijab in 2007, it wasn’t hard for me, I was fortunate enough to grow in a modest family, seeing my mom with Hijab ever since I was a kid, so it wasn’t a hard step. I would advise those struggling with Hijab that everything in life is taken step by step, so is Hijab, start off baby steps in how you dress, don’t be hard on yourself, and when you’re satisfied, go on to the next level.

Roaa’s life Motto and words she lives by?

Wake up everyday wanting to make a difference, leaving an impact.. if today I wont make that small difference, well, I hope to God I was influencing enough for someone else to make that difference for me…

Thank you Roaa for being so inspiring to all those you cross their path, God bless you!