By Iman Bibars on February 18, 2020
Iman Bibars

Iman Bibars

A visionary for social entrepreneurship and a pioneer of women-led and gender-focused development initiatives for over 30 years, Iman Bibars is the Vice President of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public and the Founder and Regional Director of Ashoka Arab World. Dr. Bibars is also the Co-founder and current Chairperson of Egypt’s very first microfinance organization, the Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women (ADEW): a citizen sector organization that provides credit and legal aid for impoverished female heads of household. She is currently leading Ashoka in launching its revolutionary Women's Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship (WISE) - a movement aiming to redefine success and elevate women social innovators around the world.

Dr. Bibars holds a PhD in Development Studies from Sussex University and a BA and MA in Political Science from the American University in Cairo.

Launching the Young Changemakers Movement

Ashoka Arab World teamed up with the British Council and Red Ochre to catalyze the Young Changemakers movement in the Arab world.
Young Changemakers Movement
Source: Ashoka Arab World

In 2019, as part of the Women's Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship (WISE), Ashoka Arab World partnered with the British Council and Red Ochre to launch the Young Changemakers movement in the Arab region, starting in Egypt. With the support of the British Council's Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE) programme, Ashoka Arab World and Red Ochre guided an initial group of 60 young women from 14 governorates through a transformative journey, helping them unlock their innate changemaking abilities and strengthen their networks in order to advance their ideas for creating social change. Read the full report to learn more!

Youth leadership Social Entrepreneurship Empathy & Young Changemaking