Type: Grant

Every Pregnancy

Strategy

Access to Healthcare: Women focused health initiatives and facilities; Capacity building initiatives of healthcare systems that impact women and girls

Summary

This grant aims to support approximately 16,000 refugee and displaced mothers with a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. Additionally, the program will provide supplies to 4 health facilities and capacity training to local health workers in Gaza and Lebanon.

Who

Every Pregnancy is a partner-driven initiative dedicated to saving the lives of mothers and babies globally by expanding access to maternal and newborn health interventions in crisis-affected communities. They will be partnering with MedGlobal and Humaniti International to deliver this program.

What

Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high; every day, over 700 women and babies die during pregnancy, childbirth or the first weeks after birth (WHO, 2025). Most deaths occur in Muslim majority countries. Approximately 60% of preventable deaths occur in conflict areas, where women face barriers to care, including weakened or collapsed health infrastructure and systemic gender inequities (WHO, 2025).

Every Pregnancy, Humaniti International, and MedGlobal will deliver an integrated package of services for expectant mothers, that addresses the underlying factors for poor health among mothers and infants, with a prevention-first approach that focuses on early intervention.  By implementing new low-cost innovations with applications in last-mile health, Every Pregnancy is bringing improved approaches to crisis affected areas. The implementing partners focus on the following objectives:

  • Healthy Pregnancy: Timely diagnosis of high-risk pregnancies through portable AI-enabled ultrasound, complemented by anemia testing and treatment when possible, to reduce the risk of complications such as postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).
  • Healthy Delivery: Training local health workers on the WHO-endorsed E-MOTIVE1 bundle for PPH management, coupled with essential equipment and supplies, to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment of mothers with PPH.

The program will include rigorous monitoring and evaluation, with quarterly reports prepared for donors and local authorities.

J-PAL MENA

Strategy

Economic Empowerment; Opportunity & Inclusion; Access to Income & Assets; Access to Healthcare

Summary

Meem Foundation has partnered with J-PAL MENA at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to launch a three-year incubator to support and evaluate evidence-based approaches to women’s empowerment in Egypt. The initiative will fund and assess three NGO-led pilot programs focused on maternal and reproductive health, digital financial tools, and gender-equitable technical education.

Who

J-PAL MENA (Middle East and North Africa) was established in July 2020 by The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to reduce poverty in the region through evidence-based policies. J-PAL MENA builds long-term partnerships with governments, NGOs, and foundations to integrate rigorous evidence into policy and programming. Their work spans areas such as education, health, labor markets, and governance, aiming to ensure that policy decisions worldwide are guided by scientific evidence.

What

The SEED incubator will begin with a capacity-building workshop program for ten Egyptian NGOs, training them in theory of change development, program design, and impact evaluation. Three of these organizations will then be selected to receive funding and tailored technical assistance for pilot implementation. Each pilot will undergo rigorous monitoring and evaluation by J-PAL MENA to ensure measurable, data-driven outcomes.

By embedding evidence generation from the outset, the program strengthens local NGO capacity. It creates a pipeline of scalable, high-impact solutions that enhance women’s access to healthcare, digital finance, and employment opportunities. This partnership advances Meem Foundation’s mission to promote inclusion and evidence-based innovation across the Arab world.

Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF)

Strategy

Economic Empowerment; Opportunity & Inclusion

Summary

Through this grant, we support the Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF), launched by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) to equip 12 women founders with the skills, networks, and resources to grow impactful businesses. SWIF builds on Sheraa’s decade-long experience nurturing over 180 startups and creating 1,900 jobs across the UAE. The program prioritizes founders based in Sharjah or expanding their operations to the Emirate, contributing to the region’s inclusive entrepreneurial growth.

Who

The Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF) is an initiative of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), launched under the patronage and vision of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi. SWIF is rooted in Sharjah’s broader commitment to innovation, equity, and sustainable development, bringing together government, corporate, and investment partners to champion women’s leadership in business. Through its equity-free model, SWIF enables exceptional women founders to access world-class mentorship, funding opportunities, and strategic networks that expand their ventures’ impact and visibility.

What

Despite growing momentum in MENA’s entrepreneurship landscape, women remain significantly underrepresented. According to a 2022 TiE Dubai and Wamda case study, The Gender Gap in Startup Investment, only 2% of MENA investment funding went to solo women founders, while 5% of funding went to at least one female co-founder teams.  The rest, 92.7% went to all male startups. Women founders typically receive less investment and fewer scaling opportunities.

SWIF addresses these gaps by focusing on leadership and systemic inclusion. It builds the visibility, confidence, and networks that women founders need to access funding and grow their enterprises.  The Fellowship combines leadership development, peer learning, and venture-building opportunities for founders at the early and SME stages.  This is a four-month fellowship with individual stipends for all 12 women founders.

By empowering women entrepreneurs to lead, innovate, and build resilient ventures, SWIF advances Meem Foundation’s mission to create inclusive pathways for women’s economic empowerment in the UAE and across the MENA region.

Source: WAMDA Research 2022