Naglaa Aboulmagd always talks with pride about her deep-rooted origin in her village ‘El-der Wel-diwaan’ in Nubia. Although she has lived in Cairo, her dreams are directed towards her village. She is very proud that her village was ranked the first in literacy among Egyptian villages. There is barely any illiterate person, which is obviously reflected in the ambitious female villagers.
Naglaa has been affected by the changes brought about by the 25th January Revolution; she decided to engage in public life and found what she wanted in a British Council programme, ‘Women Participating in Public Life’. It allowed her for the first time to be part of a part of a female working team aimed at improving women's conditions in Egypt. Already interested in women's rights advocacy before the Revolution, after participating in the programme Naglaa acquired the tools for networking in public life. She was one of few people who discussed the Nubian file in the hearing committees for the new constitution.
Naglaa said that her attendance at a regional meeting of the programme in Morocco motivated her to read up on all legal matters related to women, and to find out more information about women's experiences in other countries. It also prompted her to ask about the use of the existing laws on women's affairs, whether these laws are enforced or not, and about the status of Egyptian women compared to other women around the world.
Before joining the Women Participating in Public Life programme, Naglaa was already in favour of women's rights, and she became more active as she is preparing herself to run in the parliamentary elections. She capitalises on her experience in the Springboard programme to inspire her with optimism. Through the Springboard initiative, Naglaa managed to change the future of twenty young girls from her village, by offering them an opportunity to develop themselves, become entrepreneurs, and go beyond their intermediate educational level. Those girls are now hoping to participate in the municipal elections. Naglaa hopes that all women in Egypt will have the opportunity to create a future fit for their ambitions in true political participation, and she conveys her experiences on participating in public life to all Egyptian women through her presence in parliament.