Ms. Hajji at the North African subregional meeting in Tunis
Rim Hajji, ALWANE’s dedicated, energetic Morocco Country Officer, knew she wanted to work toward social justice and women’s empowerment early on in life. At a young age, for instance, she was marked by how a number of her classmates were married and forced to leave school. Experiences such as these have shaped Rim into the passionate and active person she is today. A member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society and a Fulbright Scholar, Rim’s long list of accomplishments goes on, but what is perhaps most admirable is that in every major position Rim has held, from her work at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy to her current work with the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network and ALWANE, she has always made sure to focus her efforts and attention on promoting, advocating for, and advancing the rights of women in her country and the MENA region as a whole.
Just this month, Rim was amongst a select group of 50 women leaders from around the world participating in an intensive 2 week Institute as part of the Women in Public Service Project. The project is one component of a Hillary Clinton’s global initiative to achieve a global 50% representation of women in government and civil society by the year 2050. She felt honored to be a part of such a distinguished group of women leaders and described the experience as an amazing opportunity and a unique platform for shared learning, influential guest speakers and professional mentoring. Rim has forged lasting friendships with other participants of the Project and sees great potential for synergy and partnerships between them and numerous ALWANE Country Committees.
Meanwhile, Ms. Hajji has been leading ALWANE’s Moroccan Committee as it continues its advocacy and policy efforts in the area of women’s access to education and the portrayal of women in Moroccan textbooks. The Committee’s research subcommittee, for instance, is close to finalizing a country brief to be shared at the Summit entitled Education of Women: the First Sector of Economic Integration. The Committee has also been working with one of its members, who recently founded a mentorship-based NGO, to organize a day-long workshop delving into the topics of advocacy and mentoring. Rim and the entire committee are very excited for the upcoming ALWANE Summit in Amman, Jordan, not just to showcase their own work, but to see the progress the North African committees have made, following their subregional meeting. They also look forward to meeting the officers and committees from the nations in the GCC and the Levant and seeing what work they have completed.
Rim working with the North African committees to develop their visions
As for the future of ALWANE, Ms. Hajji has great goals and expectations. In her eyes, “There is nothing like ALWANE. There are other initiatives, but they are not inclusive to all sectors of society. I see ALWANE developing into a women’s advancement center where professional women can go to gain skills they did not gain in formal education, mentor and be mentored and network. I can see it becoming a leading hub in the region.”
Rim Hajji is a shining example of a motivated, humble, passionate and successful modern woman. Her achievements and dedication to empowering women make her a role model to women everywhere and an extremely valued leader and asset to the ALWANE Coalition.
To follow the activities of Rim and her Morocco Country Committee, be sure to check out the Morocco Country Page, follow ALWANE on Twitter, and like ALWANE on Facebook!