Our annual Fall Benefit Event is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible transformations that HANDS has conducted in underserved Egyptian communities thanks to the generous support of individuals, companies, and foundations around the world.

This year’s Fall Benefit Gala will be hosted Thursday evening, October 16, 2025 at 6:00 pm at the Fairfax Country Club in Fairfax, Virginia to celebrate the work that you are supporting in Egypt and Alex Shalaby, our awardee of the Changemakers Award! This year, we will be raising funds to support our Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP) for mentoring for female artisans in Upper Egypt.

YEP provides vocational training to eager participants that helps them create successful businesses and lift their families out of poverty, the effects of which will be felt for generations. 

Through our entrepreneurship mentoring, artisans start small businesses that support themselves and create jobs for other community members. These entrepreneurial ventures are especially helpful in poverty-stricken areas of Upper Egypt, where economic opportunities are scarce, especially for women.  

Please join HANDS at this celebration that will include a silent auction of Egyptian handicrafts, music from the Torath Ensemble, and a keynote speech by Alex Shalaby, who will be accepting our Changemakers Award! 

Accepting our Changemakers Award- Alex Shalaby

We are thrilled to announce that Alex Shalaby will be receiving this year’s Egyptian-American Changemakers Award! Alex is the current Chairman and former CEO of Mobinil, one of Egypt’s largest mobile phone operators. Alex came to Mobinil from Washington, DC, where he was Director for Public Affairs for AT&T, serving as the company’s link to lawmakers on Capitol Hill and lobbying the executive branch of the U.S. government. Alex greatly assisted the expansion of the telecommunication sector in the Middle East and North Africa, bringing telecoms access to many across the region who didn’t have it previously. Through his decades of experience, Alex has continuously advocated for the people of Egypt and the Middle East, including during his time as the President of HANDS. This award recognizes and celebrates his many accomplishments.