Another interview by GULFNEWS

SMEs in UAE need more funding support

By Sarah Algethami                                                                  Published 17:52 April 28, 2013

http://gulfnews.com/business/features/smes-in-uae-need-more-funding-support-1.1176355

Suad Al Halwachi, director at Education Zone, applied for a bank loan to grow her business but it was rejected. She then received her loan in 2010 from a loan shark within 10 days with a 21 to 22 per cent interest rate.

Suad’s loan was rejected even though she had her financial audited statements in order and a good track record, she said, adding that “business was doing well-hence the expansion”. When asked why her loan was rejected, she said that the bank classified her business as “high risk”.

Suad added that some SMEs she is aware of have had their loans rejected and have since left the country to set up their business elsewhere, after receiving loans from there.

An interview by GULFNEWS

UAE gender gap grows narrower

By Samia Badih

Published 00:00 December 17, 2009

http://gulfnews.com/business/emiratisation/uae-gender-gap-grows-narrower-1.554587

Dubai: When Suad AlHalwachi was fed up with being an employee all her life, she decided to start her own business.

"I wanted my own time," she said. "I wanted to do what I like and travel when I want to."

But the Bahraini woman, who's been living in the UAE for 30 years, didn't know that starting her own business was not going to be easy, especially not for a woman in a world where businesses are predominantly run by men.

A woman with no credit history, Al Halwachi couldn't convince any bank to give her the capital to start her new business.

"Banks would not give me a loan because I'm a woman," she said. "So I basically had to start my business on a shoestring."

Al Halwachi reached out to friends and family for financial support and later started her own education consultancy firm which trains schools and provides career counselling to students who wish to pursue their higher education abroad.

Contacts lacking

Another challenge for Al Halwachi was not having the right contacts for her business. But eight years later, Al Halwachi says her firm, Education Zone, is doing well serving students in the Middle East and Africa.

She spends most of her time travelling to the US and Europe to learn more about the best universities first hand.

When asked whether she would apply for the Emirates Women's Award that is open to nationals and expatriates, Al Halwachi said that hearing from her students after graduation as they call her "Auntie Suad" is the best reward in the world.

Al Halwachi is one of thousands of Arab women contributing to the region's economies whose efforts go almost unnoticed. The Emirates Women's Award is aimed at recognising their talent.

A very intereting interview about higher education with me

This is self explanatory http://monitor.icef.com/2014/09/from-the-field-uae-education-sector-set-for-robust-growth/

Hope you will like the three videos.

Thank you ICEF Monitor

Men and us the women

We have many men in our lives, our brothers, our husbands, our sons, our sons in law, their brothers, our colleagues, our associates, our fellow educataors and many more; we like them all, and some of course we adore, they resemble the missing pieces of our lives jigsaw, in some moments in our life I feel that how can we live without men.  I miss my dad (PBUH) and I feel every day that he is around me , inspirer, protector, wisdom maker, care giver, money giver, well wisher and all.  However something is ringing in my ears, I cannot put my fingers on it, as its always there:  are men worried that we exist? do we threaten their existence? do they think that every word we say is against them? and do they really think that we are here to take them over?  to run their lives? or to rule them? 

Many women have ruled many countries, I want to know what goes into the minds of the men of those countries? do they feel bad that a woman is running the country? was there a survey done to show that all is well, horray, we have a woman leader, we are not worried!! or was that part of thing not taken seriously be men and they just accept it for its twopence worth?  when that woman leader says sometthing about the educatin, the health, the economy at large to the men of the parliament, or the governent, do they say in their minds: what the hell is she talking about? that its their job only and not hers? I wonder.

Ok, what brought this thing up? not sure, its just that I was wondering when we will be accepted as partners, and as people who say something because we mean it in a good way instead of just being blatantly mean?   when will the other half of this world realise that we were their mums, sisters, friends, wives, mother in laws, aunties, grandmums, and what not of the social tags that us the women carry.  Can we forget for a little while that we do share part of the wealth of this world and focus on the good stuff that the fellow women can also do to make the world a better place for everyone?

Same as men can do, women can too, to me there is no difference, and please the naivety must stop as we are not threatening, or domineering, we are just people that care and that make a difference.

Attending a K-12 conference is way better than a higher education one

Ok, this is my first time at #wise14, it stands for world innovation summit for education and it has everything to do with schools, teachers, learners, systems, creativity, raspberry jam, refugees, women, children and the list goes on.  I cannot describe how inspiring the whole thing is to me to see all of these  people (6000 of them) trying so hard to make the world a better place for everyone.  There is no discrimination here as everyone is fighting for better future for our kids, everyone is trying in his or her own way to help the world be a better place for all our generations to live in.

One thing to say here, there are more "her" than "his" as more women are working in this field than men, but of course men will get more exposure as they are out there, but in terms of initiatives women are more caring and more tuned to having safe learning communities for the children.  Everyone here has one objective, to build a future where we have schools that are run by the learners, where the classroom is facilitated by a teacher but the learning is done by the students for the students, that the classrooms are split in a way to cater for the different learning styles, that tests do not determine success, that technology is used to its limits (for us we know that there is no limit to technology) and much more objectives but last but not least that more resources are poured on education instead on military.

What I love about this  initiative is that the woman behind it is a Shaikha that really cares, when you hear her speak you can tell that she didn't create this as something to show off for, but for genuine belief that the world needs us to keep it intact, that the kids in this world are worth our time, and that we must work hard to make the world worth living.  This woman created the eduction in Qatar, and continues to inspire every person that hears about Qatar or lives in Qatar. I will call her the Queen of the educated world .  Shaikha Moza Bint Nasser, you are the woman.

I think if you haven't attended the conference, you must at least listen to the talks as they are streamed live for the benefit of everyone in this world who wants to make the world a better place for our generations.  Stay tuned, and here all about it from www.wise-qatar.org

You have got to acquire a dentist as a friend

Since August I had this excruciating tooth ache that kept me from working and sleeping, I would wake up every three hours, and no matter how many pain killers I would take, its still there! it wouldn't go away. My dentist prescribed antibiotics, and I took three lots, in my second appointment she tried to drill but couldn't as the pain was of high altitude (not sure if we can say this word to describe tooth pain) so I thought I was fine with the third lot of antibiotic, but my dentist went on her annual leave, so the last few days were again in agony. 

After long two hours of four anesthetic injections, drilling, poking, cutting, slicing and trying every dental equipment that is on the face of earth, the tooth was broken into pieces, and then pulled out via that thing that looks like a pliers to take out the fragmented tooth.  Of course with all of this I was in screams like a little child and the other dentist was telling my dentist to be strong and pull even though it was hurting, also they took few X ray pictures to determine the location of the roots on that unwise wisdom tooth. 

I came back home and decided to go to bed, but the whole night I had blood seeping through and dirtying the pillow, I couldn't recite my prayers, so I had to pray silent.  The blood was all over my face when I woke up in the morning. 

The magic thing is, I don't have pain any more? that stupid pain is gone completely, of course there is a wound and some blood, but not the pain that made half my face numb! it is no longer there, and for that I thank my dentist.  She is one of my students that had gone to study at Otago university and when she graduated I made a bet with her that she will be similar to the other dentists that I know.  Now I know for a fact that she is a different breed, she is my breed.

Believe me guys, it makes such a difference when you know the dentist, take my advise and befriend one. the least he or she can do is not to pull the tooth out while you are shouting from pain.

Travelling with the sisters and a baby

This was one of the most interesting trips in my life, we had so much laughter and happiness, even though Rashed was a bit on the cranky side, and keeps on scratching his nose and face with something (maybe our accessories) but otherwise the crowd was great.

 I must say though that I thought I was the loud one in our family who says everything and never keeps a secret but my sister Nehad proved me wrong, she is the loudest, and she told everything about us and how we behaved to the friends that we met in Doha by showing them videos and proofs of guilt !!  she had videos to prove that we are the culprits of fun, including when we danced at the airport by rolling our own bags, and how my brother Hassan, who is normally a very composed person, danced a "Yola" not worrying about what the people in the airport would say or comment.  That was hilarious story, "Flashmob" people cannot compete with us,  I cannot remember why we were so happy then, maybe it was after we returned from my son's wedding? or was it after my daughter's wedding? God knows.


Anyway, the first day my sister's in laws invited us to their house and then to a restaurant, we of course had rented a car from the airport, dropped our things to the hotel first and then headed their way.  Nehad had arrived a day earlier as her sister in law wanted to be alone with her before we all arrive and ruin the atmosphere, I think our reputation precedes us.  We had so much fun, as the house is in this new place called the Pearl, which is similar to our Palm Jumeirah except its way nicer, the houses are all royalty, and the shops are for royalties as well.  When we finally arrived to the house their daughter's husband took over Rashed and wouldn't give him back to us, and when we went to dinner we found that he came before us and brought his friends too just to see the little boy, he is a real crowd drawer this little Rashed, so in any case we had so much fun and laughter, met a lot of people during the dinner that finished around two in the morning.  Shaz, was so happy, and Sawsan too because it was their first time in Doha, so were not accustomed to the way people are treated there.  You will only know what I am saying when you actually visit.  The word awesome is just a major understatement.  Nehad's family really know how to take care of visitors, with their butlers,  pool girls and posh cars, we know how to use these items perfectly well too.  My daughter and I were fine, as we like to be pampered in any situation, one thing we cannot say to good treatment is "no".

Over the next few days this treatment continued with lunches and dinners to the sisters as we were busy at work, but relaxed that Rashed had a lot of maids to look after him and three grannies too.  In the evenings we would visit Katara with friends, and knowing how I walk with two left legs I fell off the stairs! yes I fell and hurt my knee again, guess what happened?? the people at the restaurant brought the ambulance that treated my damaged knee at the tent that my friends had rented for us, they checked my blood pressure and my sugar, put ice on the knee and the ankle, and when we finally left after hours of laughter and hearing Nehad's and Sawsan' jokes I had forgotten that my knee hurts.  Now I know that laughter is a good treatment for anything.  Laugh people laugh, its a miracle from God.

The day that we had to leave arrived, we were uneasy as we got used to going out at night every night and having sumptuous dinners and lunches, but all good things come to an end.  I wish we had stayed longer, the only bad thing that could have happened is us putting on weight, but who really cares about that??

One thing I must say here is how Sawsan and I have the heat flush, so she walks in the room with her underwear only, and my sister in law Shaz braids her hear into four distinctive braids and wears her Rayban over them, which was the funniest thing that happened really.  Till now when I remember that scene I laugh out loud.


I am waiting for our next trip, which I am sure its going to be really great.  Watch this space.