Voices of Resilience: A Conversation with Joelle Abou Farhat
August 2020 – VV Engage Fellow Joelle Abou Farhat is the co-founder and president of the NGO Fifty-Fifty in Beirut, Lebanon. Fifty-Fifty has been pivotal in increasing gender equality in Beirut’s public and private sectors. In nine years of service, they helped instigate a ten-fold increase in the number of women candidates running for public office; where only 12 women candidates ran in 2009, 113 ran in the Parliamentary Elections of 2018.
Joelle joined Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson for a conversation on the Vital Voices Podcast in our Voices of Resilience series in the wake of the explosion at the Beirut port that ravaged the city. Joelle explained that to be a woman is to be in a constant exhibition of courage and resilience, and that this is true with and without a formal leadership position. Joelle reflected on the August 4th explosion at the Port of Beirut, and how the aftermath has showcased the real power of women in the country. Joelle shared with us a raw and unapologetic account of the crisis at the ground level, as well as a call to action for the government of Beirut.
Listen to her episode here: