about
Warch(ée) is a women-led association founded with the purpose of integrating women into the construction field and the professions they may not access.
Warch(ée) designs with an environmental aspect and a circular economy system based on zero wood waste, from nature to nature: wood on wood joinery and details, no chemicals, no metals.
Warch(ée) operates as a sustainable social enterprise.
Warch(ée) designs with an environmental aspect and a circular economy system based on zero wood waste, from nature to nature: wood on wood joinery and details, no chemicals, no metals.
Warch(ée) operates as a sustainable social enterprise.
In a world facing many challenges, including climate change, digitization, and advances in artificial intelligence, unpredictability must be seen by women as an opportunity, not a threat.
In laying the foundation for the NGO Warch(ée), architect Anastasia El-Rouss wanted to create inclusive training and work opportunities, opening up certain sectors to women that they rarely have access to, including the still male-dominated building and construction industry.
She has been joined and supported in this project by many governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as local and international associations.
Warch(ee)’s goal is to help identify women interested in these careers and provide them with the right tools and skills to be able to find a job in the construction sector.
The NGO will divide construction jobs into two categories:
In laying the foundation for the NGO Warch(ée), architect Anastasia El-Rouss wanted to create inclusive training and work opportunities, opening up certain sectors to women that they rarely have access to, including the still male-dominated building and construction industry.
She has been joined and supported in this project by many governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as local and international associations.
Warch(ee)’s goal is to help identify women interested in these careers and provide them with the right tools and skills to be able to find a job in the construction sector.
The NGO will divide construction jobs into two categories:
craftswomen and technicians
Painters, blacksmiths, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, tile setters, etc. In line with its mission, Warch(ee) presents a unique initiative aimed at introducing the world of crafts, technical trades and construction to women of all ages, who do not have access to these skills due to various constraints,
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including those imposed by their social and cultural environment.
Based on the principle of “equal opportunities for all” and the “right of access to education”, Warch(ee)’s project is to help groups of women in urban and rural areas to unleash their potential, thus providing them with employment opportunities and increased income.
Based in Lebanon, where unemployment is at an all-time high, Warch(ée) aims to create employment opportunities by:
– Supporting women to access traditional jobs in the construction sector and giving them the opportunity to develop and gain financial independence and self-confidence.
– Establish partnerships and collaborations with construction companies to help them find and recruit qualified candidates.
– Providing good now-how and do-it-yourself learning in the most sought-after techniques in the construction field.
builders
Architects, Engineers, Landscape Architects, Urban Planners, women who choose these careers are often confronted with an imbalance of opportunities. Warch(ee) supports them by working to facilitate their access to projects and by surrounding them with perfectly trained female teams.
advisory board
Anastasia Elrouss - Founder, President
Anastasia Elrouss, born in 1982, is an Award-winning Architect and has been actively
working in the architecture field for nearly 15 years. She holds a degree in architecture
from the American University of Beirut where she currently teaches design courses.
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A firm advocate for women, Anastasia is the founder and president of Warch(ée), a
Lebanese NGO advocating for international social and gender equality in the workplace,
both in Lebanon and abroad.
Michèle Laruë-Charlus - Advisory Board, Territory Consultant
Michèle Laruë-Charlus, born in 1950, graduated from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris, and has a doctorate in philosophy (Paris Sorbonne). She also holds a license in art history (University of Bordeaux).
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After teaching at the Bordeaux School of Architecture
(1987/1995), in 1995 she joined the firm of Alain Juppé. She successively held the
positions of policy officer for culture and town planning and then deputy chief of staff. In
2000, she became advisor to Alain Juppé for town planning. In 2007 she took the post of
general manager of planning. In 2016 she became general manager of the development
of Bordeaux metropolis. In 2004, she created the City of Bordeaux Biennial Architecture,
Town Planning and Design Agora, an internationally recognized event today. She is now a
consultant in territorial strategies and works in France, Mexico and Brazil. She also
teaches in Cameroon. She is a knight in the order of the Legion of Honor.
Nathalie Dib - Advisory Board, Strategy & Management Consultant
Nathalie joined Near East Consulting Group in 2006.
Since then she has worked on several Consulting missions with large organization in multiple
sectors (Retail, FMCG, Contracting, Shipping, Manufacturing, Banking, Agriculture, etc.)
mainly in the MENA region and Europe. She specializes in Family Business Consulting,
Corporate Governance and HR Consulting.
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She holds a Masters in Political Sciences and Public Administration from the Université St Joseph de Beyrouth and regularly attends trainings and seminars on topics related to family businesses, Governance, HR and Entrepreneurship.
She is an honorary member of Warch(ée)’s advisory board working on the strategic shift from a non-governmental organization to a global social enterprise Lead by women.
Fifi Abou Dib - Communication & Media Advisor
Born in 1963, Fifi Abou Dib is a seasoned journalist and columnist at Lebanese daily L’Orient-Le Jour since 1986. She is also the weekend director of the web newspaper Arab News en français and co-editor-in-chief of Pulse, the e-magazine of the Fashion Trust Arabia foundation dedicated to young designers in the Arab world. She was for ten years, until 2019, editor in chief of L’Officiel Levant.
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– 1989-1992: Parliamentary assistant at the National Assembly in Paris.
– 1993 to date: Journalist, author and translator. Since 2000, she signs the weekly column “Impression” in the French speaking Lebanese daily L’Orient Le Jour, and sheds the light on fashion and lifestyle news and young designers.
– 2009 to 2019: Editor-in-chief of the bi-monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine L’Officiel-Levant.
– 2019-2020: Associate Editor-in-Chief of Cedar Wings, Middle East Airlines’ bi-monthly in-flight magazine.
– 2015 to date: Book reviewer for the monthly L’Orient littéraire.
Bibliography
– Translations from Arabic to French:
Le Pain (2010)
Dans les meules de Beyrouth (2012)
Others :
– Au petit bonheur (2004, L’Orient Le Jour editions) -D’autres ont des cyclones (2008, L’Orient Le Jour editions).
– Crime d’innocence (Dar An-Nahar 2007, for Amnesty International).
– Several exhibition catalogs, biographies, various studies and collective works.
– 1993 to date: Journalist, author and translator. Since 2000, she signs the weekly column “Impression” in the French speaking Lebanese daily L’Orient Le Jour, and sheds the light on fashion and lifestyle news and young designers.
– 2009 to 2019: Editor-in-chief of the bi-monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine L’Officiel-Levant.
– 2019-2020: Associate Editor-in-Chief of Cedar Wings, Middle East Airlines’ bi-monthly in-flight magazine.
– 2015 to date: Book reviewer for the monthly L’Orient littéraire.
Bibliography
– Translations from Arabic to French:
Le Pain (2010)
Dans les meules de Beyrouth (2012)
Others :
– Au petit bonheur (2004, L’Orient Le Jour editions) -D’autres ont des cyclones (2008, L’Orient Le Jour editions).
– Crime d’innocence (Dar An-Nahar 2007, for Amnesty International).
– Several exhibition catalogs, biographies, various studies and collective works.
Anwar Maroun - Global Financial Advisor
Growth-minded and ambitious individual, partially raised in Canada, Anwar Maroun has
a wide experience in the financial sector. In the early years of his carrier, he held the
position of Associate at Ernst & Young – Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services in
Dubai. He then became an independent financial advisor,
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contributing as a partner and
project manager to the development of Quadrature, a family-owned business in the
contracting and construction management field. He is the founder and managing
director of CUBIC Financial Solutions, Inc., a financial institution that aims to satisfy
businesses and individuals’ liquidity needs.
Clement Zakhia - Global Strategic Advisor
A mechanical and industrial engineer, Clément Zakhia has completed numerous training courses in community service, humanitarian work and conflict resolution. He is an expert in NGO management, MENA geo-political context, Syria crisis, community building /environment /development programs in Lebanon,
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and negotiation and conflict management. Since 2021, he is advisor to Warch(ée).
His extensive field experience in conflict zones and with communities in precarious situations has enabled him to implement numerous projects in this field.
– Since 2020, he remains advisor of Fondation de France – Emergency response after Beirut blast.
– Since 2019, he is also the strategic advisor of Mada organization, a non-partisan, non-sectarian Lebanese NGO which aims at reinforcing the relationship between local communities and their natural environment for the satisfaction of their needs.
– From 2014 to 2018, he was the vice-president of Doctors Without Borders-Lebanon (MSF.OCB- Brussels) in Lebanon.
– From 2014 to 2016, he was the Syria Program Field Coordinator for Doctors Without Borders Lebanon
DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT COMMITEE DIRECTOR Mayssa Jaroudi
Mayssa Jaroudi, born in 1983, holds a bachelor in Graphic Design from the American University of Beirut and a Masters in Visual Arts Management from Steinhardt, New York University. Mayssa has moved to Dubai seven years ago to work with the Art Dubai Group, where she was the Asst. Fair Director for Design Days Dubai, heading fair’s Public Programme, Exhibitors relations. She launched the Urban Commissions initiative with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and d3; and managed several initiatives, under Dubai Design Week including the first ‘Iconic City’ series exhibition. Her previous experience involves working on museums such as the National Museum of Qatar designed by Jean Nouvel; the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, based out of New York; the design department at MoMA, and a couple of design and creative agencies between Beirut, Bahrain and Dubai. Mayssa’s more recent experience involves managing Expo 2020’s Arts and Culture programme, contributing to the artistic direction and content creation of the programme through site activations, commissions, collaborations, and community engagement. She has also worked with PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) as a strategic advisor on Art and Design, helping with the development and the implementation of a governmental cultural strategy in the UAE. With more than ten years in the Art and Design industry, Mayssa shares her passion with a large network of art enthusiasts, designers and opinion leaders in this sector. Mayssa is also an entrepreneur, co-founder of inéditions, a dubai-based online platform that connects design lovers with object makers, aiming to empower and promote established and emerging creatives from the region.
AUB- MSFEA : COMMITEE DIRECTOR Carla Aramouny
Carla Aramouny, is an architect and assistant professor at the American University of Beirut, Department of Architecture and Design. She has a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Lebanese American University. She has previously worked at Pierre El Khoury Architects in Beirut, Rafael Vinoly Architects in New York, and Raed Abillama Architects. Her research and teaching involve new material and digital techniques in design, with an interest in themes of locality, landscape morphologies, and architecture typologies. In parallel to teaching, she has established a digital fabrication unit at the Department of Architecture and Design, ArD TechLab, bringing advanced fabrication and research resources to the students. Carla’s work & teaching overlap in her practice, ateliermatter, with a focus on architecture of substance and relevance to its environment.
GENDER DYNAMICS AND PRACTICES IN ARCHITECTURE, URBANISM AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE : COMMITEE DIRECTOR Stephanie Dadour
Stephanie Dadour, is an Associate professor, ENSA Paris-Malaquais Laboratories ACS, UMR/AUSSER C.N.R.S.; Laboratories MHA evt, EA 7445 and a Fellow Institut Convergences Migrations. She is also a Member of the organization and scientific committee of Gender Dynamics and Practices in Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape Architecture.
in numbers
Warch(ée) is an organization founded by Anastasia Elrouss, with the purpose of integrating
women to the construction field.
