Zena: When Hope Becomes the Unwavering Voice

By Batool Okasha, Founder of Zena

My work as an embryologist was never just a job; it was a privilege to witness miracles take shape before my eyes. From the moment life was merely a cell, I watched it grow and understood how sacred this journey truly is. But amid this beauty, I saw silent suffering; pain that no one spoke about out loud.

I vividly remember the day a woman walked into the clinic after three failed IVF attempts. She sat in front of me, her eyes filled with sorrow, then whispered in a broken voice, “I don’t deserve to live; I have failed to become a mother.” In that moment, I realized that infertility is not just a medical condition, it is an emotional journey filled with pain, silence, and a profound sense of isolation.

I saw this over and over again; strong women suffering in silence, burdened by societal judgments, trying to appear resilient while breaking inside. I could not stand idly by. I knew these women needed more than just medical treatment; they needed a safe space for their hearts, a voice to tell them they were not alone. And from this realization, Zena was born, not just as a platform, but as a community that places emotions at the heart of the medical journey.

Zena was never just an idea; it was a movement aimed at breaking the isolation women experience during infertility treatment. I wanted to create a space where a woman could be heard without fear, where she could find the emotional support she needed, where pain was no longer shrouded in silence and shame.

But my journey with Zena was not easy. I was working on launching psychological support services in Gaza, but then the war came and stopped everything, not just the project, but life itself.

Living through war means losing control over your life. Suddenly, you find yourself trapped in fear and uncertainty. Tasks that once took hours now stretched over days due to power and internet outages. Destruction was everywhere, and the fear was not just about losing what we had built, but about losing life itself.

Amid the suffering, I realized more than ever how crucial it is for people to feel that they are not alone.

This realization made me even more determined to continue what I had started, because psychological support is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Throughout the war, I continued researching the psychological experiences of women and couples struggling with infertility, understanding that their emotional distress is one of the most complex psychological challenges a person can endure. I knew that despite everything, I had to find a way to keep going.

Despite the war, we did not stop. We expanded our psychological support services online and began collaborating with mental health professionals to reach women who needed us more than ever. I learned that hope is not something we wait for, it is something we create.

But I could not have reached this point without the support of Orange Corners Palestinian Territories. It was more than just a startup Pre-Acceleration Program; it was a turning point. Through it, I gained the tools, mentorship, and connections that helped transform Zena from an idea into a movement. I gained not only practical skills but also the strength to build something that could change the lives of women everywhere.

I do not see Zena as just a project; I see it as a promise to every woman on this journey. We are now working on:

– Expanding psychological support services through AI technology to provide more personalized assistance to every woman.

 – Partnering with fertility clinics to integrate psychological support into treatment plans. 

– Launching awareness campaigns to change society’s perception of infertility and break the stigma surrounding it. 

– Developing a digital platform that allows women to access psychological support anytime, anywhere.

Zena is not just a platform; it is a heartbeat of hope. It is a message to every woman who feels alone in this journey.

You are not alone. You never were. And with Zena, you never will be.