UNFPA Egypt and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands celebrated the conclusion of the joint program titled, “Towards an Adolescent Girls Comprehensive Approach to Combat Harmful Practices in Egypt,” (2022–2026), implemented in partnership with the National Council for Women and the Ministry of Health and Population.

The programme has driven meaningful community impact, empowered young people, especially girls, and strengthened maternal and reproductive health services. 

The program supported the Noura Framework, a tailored program for girls, offering a holistic investment in the capabilities, confidence, and aspirations of girls, in partnership with the National Council for Women.

Through a comprehensive, 40-session mentorship curriculum, the program walked girls from childhood assumptions to informed decision-making. The program initiative operated on four critical fronts simultaneously. Building girls’ social, health, and economic assets through the Noura mentorship, launching the Nour component to foster positive masculinity, conflict resolution, and shared responsibility among boys, engaging parents and community leaders to transform attitudes towards harmful practices against girls and strengthening Youth-Friendly Health Services and advancing national policy to safeguard the rights of girls.

Across Assiut and Sohag, 6,154 girls have graduated from the Noura mentorship cycle since its inception.

The event brought together Germaine Haddad, Officer-in-Charge of UNFPA; Zeina Tawakol, board member of the National Council for Women, Melanne Rouw, the First Secretary for Development Cooperation at the Netherlands Embassy, and Dr. Samir El-Damiry, Head of the Primary Health Care and Family Development Sector at the Ministry of Health and Population.

Members of the development community were also among the attendees, including from the Canadian Embassy and Plan International. 

The event offered an innovative immersive experience through a visual and sound show projected in the venue. Guests embarked on an interactive journey showcasing the project's milestones and key areas of impact.

The programme’s success also lies in its ability to adapt and engage the broader ecosystem. Recognizing that change requires community buy-in, the program mobilized 36,461 community members through theater, music, and parenting activities, fostering open dialogues about FGM and early marriage.

Simultaneously, at the institutional level, the programme helped table menstrual health as a national policy priority. The launch of Egypt’s first National Policy Paper on Menstrual Health stands as a testament to the program's capacity to translate grassroots evidence into high-level policy dialogue, breaking long-standing taboos.

The program trained hundreds of mentors in life skills, mental health, and disability-inclusive facilitation, as well as digitized the Noura mental health package, ensuring it remains an accessible resource for future programming.