Nagafa, a widow from the Hassan Basha village, has always had a small job in her home. However, she made very little profit from her sales. She was struggling to pay for her children’s school expenses and basic household items like sugar and oil.

After receiving a loan from a HANDS local partner organization, she was able to sell a larger variety of items, which increased her income tremendously. She expanded her business to keep up with product demand from her large following . She is also now able to pay for her children’s schooling and household expenses. Her success is remarkable, considering that only 10% of enterprises in Egypt are run by women.

“Every day the situation improves,” she says. HANDS is thankful to our generous donors for allowing us to empower entrepreneurial individuals like Nagafa.