On March 5, the National President of the Federation of Rural Women (FEMUR), Juana Borrego, and its General Secretary, Elena García, met with the coordinators of the Convenios of the Social Promotion Foundation in Lebanon and Egypt, financed by the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation (AECID). International The event, held at the FEMUR Rural Hotel in Hontalbilla, focused on an exchange of experiences that highlighted key similarities between FEMUR projects and activities and our international initiatives.

Hiba Fawaz, coordinator of the Convenio in Lebanon, representing the Association for the Development of Rural Capacities (ADR), and Emad Gerges, coordinator in Egypt, representing the Association of Upper Egypt for Education and Development (AUEED), presented the objectives in detail and the work they do in their respective countries. Both Convenios share with FEMUR a specific focus on promoting real and effective equality for rural women through training, the generation of entrepreneurship and the visibility of the contribution of these women to sustainable development in their regions.

The importance of the day also lay in the notable similarities between the Convenios and FEMUR’s activities, especially in relation to the FEMUR Rural Hotel in Hontalbilla and the Abu Korkas HTC in Egypt, managed by our local partner AUEED. This shared business model between rural hotels allowed the exchange of experiences and knowledge useful for the development of the business plan provided for within the framework of the Convenio.

The meeting, in which Macarena Cotelo, project director, and Gema Talaván, Iván Aznar and Federico Crespo, project technicians, were present on behalf of the Social Promotion Foundation, highlighted the importance of international collaboration and the transfer of knowledge to strengthen initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable development in rural areas, with special attention to women, opening new perspectives and possibilities.