Sana Afouaiz is founder and CEO of Womenpreneur-Initiative, author of “Invisible Women of the Middle East: True Stories”. She is also a UN Ambassador and one of the 10 most influential women in the world. “It’s incredible!», exclaims Christophe Deborsu, impressed by this journey. But before leading this brilliant career, the young woman did not have it easy.
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Successes are not personal
Coming from a large family of 9 children, Sana Afouaiz had to leave home at the age of 13.Despite everything, I was very lucky. I was supported by the local librarian. Every month he gave me a book and then to discuss it“. Over the years, his mentality of steel instilled by his mother offered him numerous opportunities: American scholarships, from the European Commission and a double master’s degree in political science. Arriving in Belgium in 2016, she met the person who would change her life. “I met my mentor, Patrick Ménard. He accompanies me today and it is this person who believed in me“, explains the author. “Successes are not individual or personal, but collective« .
A proof
It was in 2016 that she decided to settle in Belgium. “Brussels was my first choice. When I walk the streets of the city, I hear different accents. I find myself in this diversity, which reflects my journey», Indicates Sana Afouaiz. Indeed, after Dubai, the European capital is the most cosmopolitan city. Brussels, in the heart of Europe, proved to be an obvious choice for the young woman.
Newly arrived in the flat country, she launched into entrepreneurship, with an initiative combining technology which helps women in Belgium, North Africa and more recently sub-Saharan Africa. “I want Brussels to be THE city of technological entrepreneurship globally. I believe in it, if I’m here, it’s because it’s possible« .
To carry out her projects, the young woman gets up every day at 5 a.m. and ends her day at 10 p.m. »and sometimes even more“. For Sana Afouaiz, this pressure is not linked to her status as an immigrant woman: “I am proud of my origins and I do not see this as a difficulty. It’s more because I love what I do« .
After three years of fighting, she launched her first 100% female training center in Gare du Nord. In total, 20,000 women were helped thanks to Sana Afouaiz’s initiative.