Egyptian Rotary member honored for advancing women’s leadership and community development
CAIRO (10 March 2026) – Rotary International has recognized Mayan Raslan for her longstanding commitment to elevating women leaders, expanding economic opportunity, and strengthening communities across Egypt.
Raslan was presented with the Sylvia Whitlock Leadership Award, which honors Rotary members who have made a lasting impact in advancing gender equity and empowering women in their communities.
A member of the Rotary Club of Cairo Royal, Raslan has more than four decades of experience in development, vocational training, and fundraising. Through partnerships with civil society organizations, financial institutions, and government bodies, she has helped provide microloans to women-headed households, supported vocational and leadership training programs, and trained more than 1,000 women in small and micro-enterprise development.
“True success is collective – it is never achieved alone,” said Raslan. “When women rise, they lift families and strengthen communities. As leaders, we must create space for others to rise with us, because when women are given the opportunity, training, and trust to lead, they reshape the future. Empower a woman, and you unlock a force for progress that carries forward across generations.”
Raslan also led multi-year development initiatives in Fayoum Governorate that included installing clean water lines in more than 1,000 homes, refurbishing health facilities, restoring 20 schools, and establishing vocational training workshops that continue to serve youth and women. She also oversaw the construction of a four-story, 28-classroom Rotary Egypt School, which opened in 2020 and now serves more than 800 students – a long-term investment in education and opportunity, particularly for girls.
“Mayan Raslan’s leadership demonstrates how Rotary creates lasting change by investing in people,” said Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo. “She has strengthened communities while opening doors for more women to lead, showing that inclusive leadership is essential to meaningful and sustainable progress.”
In addition to her community work, Raslan strengthened women’s leadership within Rotary. In 2016-17, she served as the elected leader of Rotary clubs across part of Egypt and established the Women Empowerment Committee – the first of its kind in her Rotary region – to mentor and elevate women leaders, an initiative that has since become a permanent committee. She also introduced measures to increase female membership and expand women’s roles in leadership, and today women represent more than half of the membership in that Rotary region.
The Sylvia Whitlock Leadership Award, named for the first woman to serve as a Rotary club president, honors one Rotary member each year who has actively worked to advance women and girls.
Rotary members throughout the world develop and implement sustainable, community-driven projects that fight disease, promote peace, provide clean water, support education, improve maternal and child health, grow local economies and protect the environment. Over US$5.5 billion has been awarded through The Rotary Foundation to support these programs worldwide.
About Rotary: Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and creating lasting change. Rotary connects 1.2 million people of action from more than 45,000 Rotary clubs in almost every country in the world, including more than 2600 members across 137 clubs across Egypt. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit rotary.org.
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CONTACT:
Claudia Brunner, +41-44-387-7116, claudia.brunner@rotary.org