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The creation of botanical gardens in semi-public spaces, such as residential buildings, has long been a losing battle in Tunis, hindered by residents’ struggles to agree on even the most basic principles of communal living. Yet, thanks to the unwavering determination and strong character of Faiza Majri, what once seemed an unattainable dream has become a reality. Today, the entrance of her building has been transformed into a thriving green oasis, all sparked by a single bold initiative—the planting of one citrus tree.

Sarah Ragab, a restorer of historic buildings from Egypt, has come up with an innovation that converts plastic waste into material that can be used to pave and restore roads, helping reduce costs and promote sustainability.

Ecofeminism, as defined in intellectual and activist circles in the Global North, is presented as an inclusive, progressive alternative to solve ecological crises. But what does it mean, concretely, for women in the Global South? Why does this vision, imported by international NGOs, often feel synonymous with guilt and injunctions rather than justice and reparation?

The fight to save the planet, linked to women’s rights, began to shake the world in the 1970s. Yet a number of books and publications, both old and recent, show that the first ecofeminists were probably witches, those women of unconquered power (1) despite the inquisition they endured.

While terms like war, rearmament, and nuclear umbrella have been dominating the headlines since Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term as president of the United States on January 20, 2025, Medfeminiswiya has chosen to take a step in the opposite direction and talk about ecofeminism this March 8, for International Women’s Day.

1975, 1982, 2006, 2024… dates that resonate like the sound of a shrill war alarm in the minds and memories of the people living in the tiny country that is Lebanon. Caught between the region’s war-mongering powers—Israel and Iran in particular—Lebanon witnesses deadly tensions every time the region flares up.

Peddling saleswomen in the Cairo metro system are classified as informal workers, operating without an official work contract or social insurance. This category of workers has been ignored for years. But the stories of these saleswomen are harsh, and they can be read on their faces, on the constant fear and anxiety legible in their features.

Female workers in the profession of harkous painting in Tunisia suffer from social rejection and are targeted by security forces. Though this profession is part of Tunisian heritage, it has not been given adequate care by the government, and the women who work in it face various violations in the streets, violations that are compounded by a miserable economic situation.

With her wrinkled face browned from the sun, her white hair and tired eyes, Umm Youssef watches the passersby in Bab Tuma Square in Damascus. Sometimes, she wanders away, but customers call her back and she rushes to make coffee in front of her car. Everything she needs is in that car, even the gas cylinder and material she needs to prepare hot drinks.

At present, women of 35 nationalities are working as sex workers in Rome. Who are these women? What brought them to the Italian capital? This investigation, conducted by two of our correspondents in Rome, Federica Araco and Nathalie Galesne, attempts to find the answers to these questions.