An Interview with Rouba

Written by Rouba Mhaissen, Founder & Director, Sawa Foundation

1. Why is “an approach to leadership that resonates with women” needed?

Many women, especially women of color in the South, women like me, an Arab women wearing Hijab, a mother of two, working with vulnerable communities, feel left out from approaches to leadership that center the White male. Those approaches sideline emotional intelligence, compassion, understanding, participatory approaches, listening and the community. Today, more than ever, with the problems in our societies and communities worldwide, and the crisis in leadership that was highlighted especially after covid, we need to rethink existing leadership models to make sure they are more inclusive and representative of all components of society.

2. Halfway through the Expedition what are you uncovering?

The expedition has been a game changer because I never thought I would find leaders worldwide that could understand my language, and together, we are collectively reaching new places in our understanding to leadership. Such an understanding may solve a lot of the world’s problems if we found a way to operationalise it!

To read more about Rouba, click here