By Racha Ammati
I, Racha Ammati, a 28 year old Moroccan female, am proudly finishing my PhD on Women as Agents of Change in the Context of Climate Change by researching a comparative study between Canada and Peru. I aim to capture perspectives of both women in the Global South and in the Global North. I am currently based in Ottawa, Canada.
My friends and colleagues see me as a very ambitious person who is focused on my goals and is persistent. I am a very strong, loving, and empathetic person. I try to understand people and put myself in their shoes to know where they’re coming from. During my teenage years, I realised that in different countries women had different chances and opportunities based on the society in which they lived. Witnessing these very different situations made me question the injustice women face in different countries; in some countries, women face higher rates of domestic violence and have very limited rights. These aspects, triggered me to dedicate my professional career to help make an impact in women and girls’ lives through my work. My main motivation is knowing that every day I am dedicating my time to improving women’s representability in our societies globally which will improve the quality of life for all.
I started my journey fighting for women’s rights when I was 21. When I finished my Bachelor’s degree I travelled to Santiago, Chile alone for an internship. I had never been to South America previously; it was my first experience of an amazing new culture. I still miss South America where I had the chance to meet very inspiring people; I worked at the Gender Affairs Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, UN ECLAC. My supervisor taught me so much and she is the one who made me maintain a strong interest in fighting for women’s rights. I had such an amazing stay working with different people in this division and attended many high-level conferences where representatives from different countries spoke about women’s different contexts and the work that still needs to be done in the field. Access to this information really empowered me. Seeing this made me know what I wanted to do and focus on when I finished my Bachelors’ degree. Women need access to more resources to develop their potential and contribute equally to society.
During my career path, I have always had strong support and have been surrounded by people who believe in me and push me to do my best. These people are incredibly nurturing, now I am trying my best to give it back to society.
There are many strong women I look up to, but the first one who comes to mind is Malala Yousafzai: despite her extremely oppressive environment with roadblocks at every stop, she is very courageous in sharing her story. Her willingness to help many other girls is truly amazing and inspiring for me. If I had a message to send to other women, it would be: ‘‘Stop following what society dictates as “normal” and never give up on your goals and passion’’.
About the author
Racha Zahira Ammati is an International Gender Equality and Development Expert at Includovate. She is pursuing her PhD in Political Sciences, Public Administration and International Relations at the University Complutense of Madrid, UCM. She has a Bachelor Degree in International Relations and a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies and International Cooperation. Her professional goal is related to improving gender equality, fighting the main barriers that obstruct the empowerment of women and girls across social boundaries, especially in developing countries. She is a Youth Advisor for the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States region, Gender Innovation Agora Platform.
Includovate is a feminist research incubator that “walks the talk”. Includovate is an Australian social enterprise consisting of a consulting firm and research incubator that designs solutions for gender equality and social inclusion. Its mission is to incubate transformative and inclusive solutions for measuring, studying, and changing discriminatory norms that lead to poverty, inequality, and injustice. To know more about us at Includovate, follow our social media: @includovate, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.