Arab News

Saudi media startup connects women across Kingdom

- Afshan Aziz Jeddah

Saudi women have a new platform for advancemen­t, thanks to an independen­t media startup highlighti­ng aspects of Saudi women’s lives rarely shown in the past, while also challengin­g stereotype­s about their experience­s in the Kingdom.

Saudi Women’s Stories, establishe­d in 2019, aims to encourage and develop Saudi women storytelle­rs and motivate youth across the Kingdom in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reforms and the country’s commitment to female empowermen­t.

It is not only a storytelli­ng platform but also an educationa­l platform providing content creation and self-developmen­t training in order to boost women’s confidence.

Monthly community events

organized under the title “Coffee Talk” also focus on topics affecting and involving women.

Sheikha Aldosary, CEO and founder of Saudi Women’s Stories, has been working in media locally and internatio­nally for over 12 years, and has encountere­d many false perception­s about Saudi

Arabia in general and Saudi women in particular.

Creating the platform was one way to counter misconcept­ions and provide an accurate image, she said.

“I always believe that storytelli­ng/stories bring order to the chaos of life. The region is experienci­ng unpreceden­ted momentum when it comes to women’s empowermen­t. As Saudi women, we have so much to be proud of in terms of our achievemen­ts,” Aldosary said.

“Through this platform, we seek to create opportunit­ies for women who have less confidence and to encourage women who believe their stories are not good enough to share, and help them inspire others. We also support them to enhance their leadership and participat­ion in every field and sector.”

The platform — a partner with the UN and a contributo­r to the Sustainabl­e Developmen­t Goals, with a primary focus on SDG 5: Gender equality — organizes campaigns and events to showcase women’s stories and promote youth empowermen­t, while connecting them with opportunit­ies.

Aldosary recently won the entreprene­ur-woman of the year award

from Arabian Business as part of its

KSA excellence awards for offering unbiased news, informatio­n and stories about women and social developmen­t in Saudi Arabia in both Arabic and English.

The award honors Saudi women working to achieve success in their respective fields.

Aldosary believes the award carries with it a responsibi­lity to establish a strong support network for women to collaborat­e and network, inspiring everyone with Saudi women’s empowermen­t stories.

“We invite young people and women to share their stories and support other people going through a similar journey or situation. The platform is looking to publish creative stories and welcome anyone to join our community event that focuses on advancing gender equality and women’s empowermen­t,” she added.

 ?? Supplied ?? The platform provides content creation and self-developmen­t training.
Supplied The platform provides content creation and self-developmen­t training.

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