Implemented during 2023–2024, Creative Voices of Qena is a women-focused creative capacity-building program designed to empower talented women from Qena working in performing arts and filmmaking. The program was implemented in partnership with the Canadian Embassy and the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives, building on the success of Creative Women of the South and expanding its impact to a new governorate in Upper Egypt. The program aimed to enhance participants’ artistic and technical capabilities while promoting social advocacy, freedom of expression, and community engagement through creative practice. By using arts as a tool for dialogue and awareness, participants were supported to address local challenges and social issues relevant to their communities.

Throughout the program, participants engaged in a structured learning journey that combined artistic and technical training in performing arts and filmmaking with collaborative, group-based creative production. They were introduced to production planning and budget management, and received guidance on integrating individual creative contributions into cohesive and well-structured productions. The program placed strong emphasis on teamwork and practical application, enabling participants to work collectively toward producing high-quality artistic outputs and developmental awareness content with meaningful social impact.

Through Creative Voices of Qena, participants strengthened their artistic expression and technical skills while gaining hands-on experience in collaborative creative production. They developed a practical understanding of budgeting and production management and used creative content as a platform to promote social advocacy and address community challenges. At a broader level, the program contributed to advancing women’s creative leadership, amplifying women’s voices in Upper Egypt, and reinforcing the role of the arts as a catalyst for social development and freedom of expression.