Yasmine ElHagry

Executive Director

Yasmine El Hagry (B.A. Journalism & Mass Communication), the American University in Cairo (AUC) 2004, the Executive Director of Wataneya Society. Currently she is studying for a master degree in Public Administration at the AUC. She is a certified Strategy and Business Professional by KPI Institute and a certified Positive Psychology Life Coach by ICF. She was named among the 100 sustainability champions in the Middle East and North African (MENA) included in the 2023 and among the 2022 list of the most influential Arab figures in the CSR and sustainability domains which was issued by the Regional Network for Social Responsibility. Her passion for serving children started when she was at college. She was an active member of “Volunteers in Action”, a leading students’ club for supporting orphans. She was elected club president in 2003. In 2009, she decided to join a newly starting NGO; Wataneya Society, to fulfill her dream in supporting orphans, and leave her position as an associate creative director in a well-established advertising agency. Through her work as External Relations Manager, Yasmine participated in developing and advocating for the National Quality Standards for Care within Orphanages in Egypt, developed by Wataneya in participation with the civil society. These standards were accredited by the Ministry of Social Solidarity in 2014. She initiated and managed various events and awareness campaigns such as "Know me! I'm not Just an Orphan” and “A Chance to Know Us!” to build positive perception towards the orphans and their caregivers. She managed to build fruitful partnerships and successful collaborations within the civil society, the private sector, the media, the schools and universities. She succeeded in winning grants and awards for Wataneya’s programs and projects. In 2017, Yasmine was responsible for managing Wataneya’s strategy implementation being the Strategic Projects Unit Senior Manager. She led the content development of SANAD 1st Regional Conference on After Care in partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity in 2019. She participated with the Ministry of Social Solidarity and UNICEF in developing the first draft for the Alternative Care Law to provide a supporting system for children and youth without parental care in Egypt. She dreams that all children are raised happily and safely within their biological, extended or a foster family and that orphaned youth will be empowered with necessary skills to improve their lives and lead them to a brighter future.