Fifteen-year-old Mazen, now a student, used to work in one of Cairo's factories.

Fifteen-year-old Mazen, now a student, used to work in one of Cairo’s factories.

During a recent trip to Cairo to track the progress of HANDS’ projects, nembers of HANDS’ Board of Directors were especially inspired by fifteen-year-old Mazen. Mazen used to work in a factory in his neighborhood, but after engaging with his parents in a HANDS-sponsored program aimed at combating child labor, Mazen reenrolled in school and now works only during the summer break.

Using his firsthand experience as a young factory worker, Mazen helped draft articles in the new Egyptian Constitution regulating child labor. As he spoke to HANDS’ board, he sparkled with pride over this accomplishment.

Despite his youth, Mazen is already an advocate for child workers in Egypt, demanding basic rights be insured for the children he left behind in the factories.

Mazen is proof to all of us that there are no limits to who can change their communities for the better. HANDS is proud to stand alongside hard workers like Mazen who endeavor to change the lives of others around them.