Nour Emam
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Nour Emam (Arabic: نور إمام) is an Egyptian technology entrepreneur, doula and reproductive health activist. She is co-founder and CEO of the Cairo-based femtech startup company Daleela by Motherbeing.
Emam underwent a medically unnecessary C-section when giving birth to her daughter, then suffered from postpartum depression and PTSD, which went undiagnosed for eight months.[1] After this experience, she became an activist for sexual and reproductive health, subjects which are considered taboo in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).[2][3] She trained as a doula for five months in Canada and studied managing postpartum depression in Britain.[4]
Emam founded Cairo based[5] fem-tech company MotherBeing in January 2020 and works as CEO. It has become one of the leading platforms for sex education in the Arab world,[6] and serves over 150,000 users in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq via an AI-powered health assistant specifically designed for Arab women.[7][8] The app features video clips of Emam which teach women about their bodies including menstrual health, sexually transmitted diseases and the conception of children.[9][10]
In 2023, Motherbeing donated sanitary pads to women in Gaza.[11] In 2025, Emam's organisation was rebranded as Daleela by Motherbeing and she staged the inaugural Women’s Health Summit in Egypt in May 2025.[7]
Emam has also spoken on podcasts such as a 2025 episode of The Egyptian Streets, where she discussed misconceptions in sexual health and myth-busting old traditions,[12] and on YouTube channel Medsulto.[13] She was recognised on CairoScene's impact list in 2020[8][14] and was named a BBC 100 Women in 2024.[2][4][8]
References
- ↑ "Mother Being: Breaking taboos around sex education, reproductive health in Egypt". Ahram Online. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- 1 2 "BBC 100 Women 2024: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 1 January 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ↑ "Normalising conversation about Arab women's sexual health led to threats and challenges, Motherbeing co-founder says". Middle East Monitor. 19 March 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- 1 2 "BBC recognizes Nour Emam of Egypt's MotherBeing for empowering women - Health - Life & Style". Ahram Online. Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ↑ Kamel, Deena. "Generation Start-up: Mother Being destigmatises reproductive health to empower women". The National. Archived from the original on 5 July 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ↑ El-Naggar, Mona; Aridi, Sara (18 November 2021). "Sex Ed, One Instagram Post at a Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- 1 2 Nazmy, Yasmine. "Daleelas Nour Emam On Reframing Women's Health In The MENA". Inc. Arabia English. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- 1 2 3 Pappas, Costa (3 December 2024). "Sexual Health Educator Nour Emam Named in BBC 100 Women List 2024". SecneNow. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ↑ "Let's talk about sex, habibi!". Hindustan Times. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ↑ "Aya was clueless about sex before she married. Where she's from, it's barely discussed". SBS News. 13 July 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ↑ "Egypt's MotherBeing clinic to send sanitary pads to Gaza women". Ahram Online. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ↑ Morsi, Noran (7 March 2021). "Podcast: Nour Emam Revolutionizes Sex-Ed in Egypt". Egyptian Streets. Archived from the original on 27 April 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ↑ Medsulto (26 May 2025). Episode 2: She Breaks Free — Featuring Nour Emam & Dr. Dalia Ghozlan. Retrieved 23 July 2025 – via YouTube.
- ↑ CairoScene (27 December 2020). #CairoScene IMPACT LIST 2020: NOUR EMAM. Retrieved 23 July 2025 – via YouTube.