#IWD2021: Meet the Mosaik women working towards #GenerationEquality
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. This theme draws attention to the fact that “women stand at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the pandemic”.
We caught up with Ekhlas, Boshra, Amal, Anoud, Lamia and Asea to talk about how they became involved in Mosaik’s work, what #GenerationEquality means in their personal and professional lives, and which women inspire them.
Ekhlas
How did you become involved with Mosaik?
“I was an English coach in the Arizona State University Program in JOHUD Jordan when I started the Mosaik Dogme Teacher’s Training in November 2020. The course came in a critical time when I was doing online teaching for the first time in my life, and I am still engaged in the Mosaik community”.
What does the International Women’s Day slogan #GenerationEquality mean to you?
“I always believe that women can make change, women give birth and raise the new generations, they should change all the concepts that make the society, men, discriminate against females. I realise that it is not easy, but it could happen. It is a dream that I chased and I am doing my part in my family and with my students, teaching is not just for grammar and vocabulary it is building the world. I realize that the most subjugated people are children and women but hope and hard work can change everything”.
Which woman do you admire the most and why?
“In 2004 I met a great teacher in the UK, her name is Mrs Cooper, she was my son’s teacher in year 2. I have never thought to be a teacher in my life but Mrs Cooper inspired me to be a good teacher, she was doing great effort that made me change my profession from a pharmacist assistant to English teacher, I went to university in 2010 to study a BA in English literature, then in 2014 to start my Masters in linguistics”.
Boshra
“I am Boshra, I am a 21 year old undergraduate student. Last summer I joined Mosaik as a student to improve my language as a part of my plan to develop my skills before graduation.”
“Every year the International Women’s Day comes to remind the whole world of the important role of us as women and to celebrate our maternality, free choices and our successful stories as well as to remind us of all women that still suffering in prisons whether they are actual or small prisons. To remind us of every woman suffering from gender discrimination just because she is a woman, to remind us that there is always a space to be yourself, to defend your dignity”.
“I admire every woman that does what she wants to do, and always being comfortable and satisfied with her own lifestyle no matter what it is”.
Amal
“I first knew about Mosaik from Scott Thornbury’s tweet mentioning that he was happy to be involved in the Mosaik Dogme training. I registered from the link he had there without knowing much about what Mosaik was. However, I knew it would be good and I loved it the first few minutes into the activities of the first session. The simplicity of the activities are what teachers and students need. Also, how they can integrate into any existing program makes them of great value. I especially liked how they emerge from the students’ needs rather from what the market has to offer. Their flexibility makes them suitable for both face-to-face learning and distance learning”.
“It is unfortunate that despite the strides humanity has made in so many domains in science, exploration and technology that we are still calling for Generation Equality. Despite the contributions women have made in all domains of life and the hard work they do; we still need to demand that women get equal pay and equal treatment at both the social and the professional level. Generation equality requires that stereotypes and bias are challenged in our communities and institutions, an endeavor not to be left for women to tackle on their own, but women and men of the new generation should take on. Such a campaign will make us all winners; women and men; boys and girls; and the world at large”.
“I admire the woman who despite her fatigue due to the multiple chores she takes on, embraces the outside world resiliently and strongly insisting to make a better living for herself, those around her and the world. I admire the woman warrior who is fighting for a better world despite the obstacles she encounters in her way, and I admire how despite being undervalued by the context she is in, she knows her real worth and acts accordingly, and witnessing how slow the progress is in granting her what she deserves, she insists on attaining only the best”.
Anoud
“I am Anoud, an 18 year old Syrian refugee living in Jordan. I have already finished high school with a grade of 96.8%. One of my dreams is to access higher education to study medicine and I hope to be given a chance to create a better world that believes in the capabilities of women. I come from a family that most of the members are females. I have no brothers. This has increased the challenge on me and my sisters to prove to our community that females are not meant to be wives sitting at home, but rather are able to excel in their education and fulfill high responsibilities and tasks. Mosaik was one of the organizations that helped me develop my English.
“The International Women’s Day slogan, #Generation Equality, means a lot to me, and affirms that women can change the world for the better if they have the opportunities, so we can become teachers, doctors, astronauts, and even presidents. We must support each other and cooperate in order to build better societies”.
“One of the women that inspires me is Rosa Parks. This is the woman who has been able to say no to injustice and racism. Rosa was the reason to make the lives of millions of people better. The story of this woman inspired me because although some may think that the woman is weak, Rosa has proven that the woman is very strong and strong to say a word no. She taught us how to say no to anything that might hinder our lives. Thank you, Rosa Parks, for having encouraged me to say no to all the difficult circumstances I face in my life”.
Asea
“My name is Asea Elmi, I’m from Somalia, east of Africa. I grow up in Arab countries such as Yemen and of course most of my life was in Jordan I have been in Amman almost 10 years. I graduated from school and met most of my friends here in Jordan, and life was kind of amazing for me. I intend to travel to Canada and complete my higher education. Last year I attended a class with Fatima, one of the facilitators at Mosaik and we got a lot of positive energy, information, a lot of things. We had so much fun, we became close and even made friends”.
“I believe that the world is getting more development and open minded than the past, and the work market should include women, that will boost the economy and the financial state of the country”.
Lamia
“I have been teaching English at Al al Bayt University since 2004. I work in the Language Center but I often teach at the Department of English Language and Literature in the same university. Before this I taught English for ten years in the schools of Ministry of Education, besides teaching distinguished students aged 12–17 . I enjoy teaching English for all ages. My husband died in 1998 and I was left with our only son who is now studying to be an architect. I went back to live with my family and pursued my higher education. It has been a tough and long working hours for me to work, study and raise my son. I worked hard but my father and mother supported me and looked after my child while I was at work at day and studying at night”.
“#GenerationEquality is something I hope all women achieve in this world which is changing rapidly; I hope that women become more confident in themselves and I think they are really willing to do a big change in life both for themselves and their families. Communities cannot develop without women getting involved, as well as men, in all aspects of life. During this pandemic of COVID-19 many women suffered a lot at both work and home especially in our part of the world which demands a lot from women. Women should say NO to all types of exploitation”.
“In my personal life I admire Dr. Awatif Abu al-Sha’er, my English teacher at high school and later my colleague and friend at workplace for her loving and encouraging nature. She is such a great respectable woman in her family and with friends; she would give advice, encourage, help and support anyone in need. I also admire my grandmother who passed away a few years ago… she was such a strong mother who spoke aloud her opinions over family issues and who had a strong personality who would never change her mind because of fear”.
About Mosaik Education
Mosaik is a non-profit organisation that supports refugees reaching university through academic guidance and English language training in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. All of our programmes are co-designed with refugees, leverage technology and are open for local community organisations to lead. In 2020, we reached over 300 young people, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. You can follow Mosaik on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and sign up to our newsletter here.
