Nahla Al Nemr

Head of Institutional Assessment at Wataneya Society

Nahla El Nemr was told that high school would be too hard for her despite having always been a model student. Administrators at the foster home where she grew up denied her request to complete her high school education, telling her that she would be joining the national Nursing Institute “just like everyone else.” This led Nahla to take matters into her own hands, joining a high school behind without the administration’s knowledge. Despite the lack of support and resistance she faced, Nahla completed her degree and enrolled at Cairo University’s Higher Institute of Social Work. Motivating her along the way was her goal to become self-reliant and make her own way in life. When she achieved her goal, Nahla wanted to leave the orphanage life behind and forget all about her challenging upbringing.

That was until she reluctantly accepted an invitation to an event hosted by Wataneya on the quality of care at Egyptian orphanages. Although she shied away from it at first, Nahla had plenty to say on the subject, given her own experience. She became a regular at Wataneya, appearing at frequent gatherings and contributing a great deal to discussions about standards for alternative childcare. Nahla eventually decided to dedicate herself completely to the cause, joining Wataneya’s team out of a desire to prevent others from facing the same conditions she once did. She earned further qualifications in childcare and quality assurance from the Amaan Training Center and rose through the ranks to currently lead Wataneya’s institutional assessment team. Nahla was also invited to speak at Tedx Cairo Women and Wiki Stage about the various challenges facing Egyptian children and youth in the foster system and continues to work tirelessly towards improving their conditions.

and raise awareness on the challenges faced by orphaned youth.