FemForward, an initiative that began in May in Morocco, is now expanding to young women in junior high-tech roles in the MENA area, mentoring for improvement, following four successful cohorts in Israel.
Some of the Moroccan participants in the program shared their thoughts with Israel21c media, unveiling the results they’re witnessing so far.
Safaa, 25, who works in finance in Morocco, wanted to change her career to information technology but had no idea how to do it until she participated in the Israeli program, previously implemented in Morocco by Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan Nahoum.
Safaa received mentoring from FemForward, who provided her with a clear plan for how to land a career in the IT industry.
“FemForward provides women in junior high-tech positions with the tools, network, and personal mentorship to advance,” explained cofounder and CEO Rachel Wagner Rosenzweig.
Rosenzweig worked for six months to bring FemForward to the MENA area, particularly the Abraham Accords countries, in the hopes of having a greater impact outside of Israel.
The first location was decided to be in Morocco. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates will shortly follow, according to the same media.
“Together with the US Embassy, the Jerusalem Development Authority, and the UAE-Israel Business Council, we built FemForward MENA basically from scratch, scouting out Moroccan participants and planning our in-person seminar in Casablanca,” Rosenzweig told ISRAEL21c.
The program so far has 4 cohorts with over 100 graduates and a success rate of over 50% of the women immediately receiving a salary raise and job promotions.
In Morocco, it’s based in Casablanca.
Several prominent organizations and companies in Morocco joined in the effort of the FemForward program, including the Commons Zerktouni coworking space, Microsoft Morocco, McKinsey& Company, and the Association of Businesswomen of Morocco (AFEM).