The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) and Seven Circles Consultancy’s ‘Empowering Through Initiative’ partnered up to publish the ‘Empowering Women through Cooking’ (EWC) cookbook in Egypt.

EWCEgypt features the recipes of 54 women from a variety of nationalities and religious and socio-economic backgrounds, who are currently living in the country.

The recipes are accompanied by stories of empowerment, insights on pursuing one’s ambition, becoming an entrepreneur, and real-life examples of women changing communities today.

“This cookbook creatively presents the unifying power of food by providing a unique space where everyday people, communities, individuals, and entities have come together to share their voice and message of empowerment. The WFP’s strategic partnership with Seven Circles — which works to inspire, educate, and empower women through innovative collaborations — emphasises the importance of empowering women by providing access to opportunities and education, not only to achieve food security, but development that is truly inclusive and sustainable,” said Praveen Agrawal — WFP Representative and Country Director in Egypt. 

In a joint statement, Seven Circles Co-Founder Dina Saoudi and Abdel Majeed Shoman Jr. said: “We are grateful to our partners and contributors and are thrilled to shed light on stories of Egypt’s inspirational women with the world.”

The cookbook confirms that NGOs, the public sector, the private sector, academia, and development agencies can (and must) work together to empower women.

Contributors to EWC Egypt include the Semiramis Intercontinental Cairo Hotel, Monappetit Culinary Academy, Beyti, Stardust, and Zest Production House, and it is co-published by Jabal Amman Publishers and Dar Al-Shorouk publishing house.

In Egypt, the WFP and government work to empower women and girls by improving access to education, adequate nutrition, vocational trainings for employment, economic opportunities, and improved food security.