Zahia was a teacher, psychiatric social worker and an activist. She was trained in teaching and medical social work. She was from Egypt.
She is most known as an advocate of family planning.
With others, she started Egypt’s first school of social work in Alexandria and another on in Cairo and this work led to establishment of Egypt’s Ministry of Social Affairs.
She formed disability and rehabilitation organisations and also the Regional Federation of Social Services, the Happy Childhood Association, the Institute for Training and Research in Family Planning and the Alexandria Family Planning Association.