Empowering Women in Digital: Sara Muawad's Journey with Madfoatcom

Empowering Women in Digital: Sara Muawad’s Journey with Madfoatcom

For many students in their final years of college or university, a mix of eagerness and fear about the future begins to build. This blend of emotions can be both motivating and challenging, sometimes taking a toll on their confidence. In contexts like Jordan, where a significant portion of the young population is unemployed, the situation is even more daunting. Young women face additional challenges due to gaps in digital literacy, compounded by an unfavorable employment environment.

Sara Muawad is a 19-year-old woman from Jordan whose determination and innovative spirit kept her more driven than fearful about her future. The challenges she faced while looking for a job in a difficult employment landscape inspired her to step outside her comfort zone rather than stop her. Currently studying to earn her bachelor’s degree in English and involved in creative and community support activities, Sara’s main goal when looking for a job was to continue her education while learning new skills.

“My experience searching for a job was full of challenges. I was looking for a job in customer service or sales. However, I faced difficulty finding opportunities that matched my limited experience, and the fact that I hadn’t yet graduated did not help.”

Navigating Limited Opportunities and Skill Gaps

During her job search, she understood that while education gives an enormous boost to one’s chances of finding a suitable job, the lack of practical skills remains one of the major reasons why young people like her struggle to enter the job market.

“Even though I hadn’t completed my university education, I felt that education alone wasn’t enough to secure a suitable job.”

Her perspective changed when her friend, a former beneficiary of the Madfoatcom program, introduced her to this opportunity. As the leading financial technologies provider in Jordan and one of the acclaimed regional innovators in the MENA region, Madfoatcom is a pioneer in a variety of digital solutions that support businesses and their clients. Since 2022, CFYE has supported this business in building a job creation network for marginalised, excluded, and underemployed youth and women across Jordan. By filling the skills gap through tailored training, mentorship, and internship opportunities, their goal is to make participants valuable employees at Madfoatcom’s local companies or self-employed workers under Madfoatcom agents. From her feedback, Sara was motivated by what was offered at Madfoatcom: an opportunity to learn the skills required for the job through their training program and a meaningful job opportunity waiting for her after the completion of all the classes.

“At first, I wasn’t enthusiastic about freelancing and thought it was unstable. However, after starting with Madfoatcom, I realised the value of the skills I gained and the flexibility freelancing offers, which suits my university studies.”

Forming new entrepreneurs through skills and mentorship at Madfoatcom

Learning transferable skills such as time management and customer communication, in addition to learning the principles of electronic payment, was a crucial step for Sara, who is now equipped with knowledge that will open new doors once she completes her education.

The aspect that stood out for her was the personal attention she received from the trainers and her mentor, who provided practical advice and helped her apply what she learned. This support not only gave her the right tools to start her freelancing journey but also had a significant impact on her confidence.

“I plan to expand my freelancing work and start my own business someday, but for now, I would advise myself to be patient and keep learning new skills,” Sara shared.

Once skeptical about freelancing, Sara now feels like she is on the right growth path as she has gained financial independence and self-reliance, enabling her to support her family with her university studies. She is now sure that every little investment she has made in herself so far brings her one step closer to achieving her dreams.

To other young people, she makes one recommendation:

“Invest your time in personal development and seize every opportunity to improve your skills. Most importantly, don’t lose hope; you will eventually find the opportunity you deserve.”

Programs like Madfoatcom’s, with the support of CFYE, are making a significant impact by identifying and addressing barriers that prevent youth, especially young women, from entering the competitive job market. By focusing on personal development, they not only provide young job seekers with the skills and confidence they need to approach employers successfully but also enable them to grow and gain practical skills. With such a comprehensive approach, Madfoatcom and CFYE are not just preparing young people for the job market, they are enabling them to build the future they have always envisioned for themselves.