Mohamed El Shami is 24 years old and  lives with his family in a two-bedroom apartment in a crowded Cairo neighborhood. Although Mohamed had attained a bachelor’s degree in 2011, he was unable to find a job after graduating. Mohamed’s dilemma was not uncommon; in Egypt, two-thirds of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 are jobless, neither in school nor able to find employment.
Dissatisfied with his situation, Mohamed decided to apply to a job-skills training program called Employment through Technology and Innovation that HANDS was sponsoring in his community. Upon acceptance into the program, he began taking classes on themes that included working in teams, public speaking and learning marketable IT skills like Microsoft Office Suite. Initially rather shy, Mohamed’s self-confidence blossomed as he learned essential career skills such as how to write a resume and conduct himself during an interview.
At the end of his training, Mohamed used the Beehive, our online job-matching tool, to find several job openings in his community. He began applying for these positions, overcoming his reticence and utilizing his newly enhanced skills. After advancing through the interview process, Mohamed is now thriving in his position at the World Food Program and is growing as a young professional.
Mohamed is just one of over 25,000 unemployed youth who benefited from HANDS’ job-skills training programs in the past three years.
As the Middle East continues to grapple with many challenges, not the least of which is launching youth into their lives and careers, HANDS is grateful for your support. Thank you for helping us and our local partner organizations on the ground in Egypt provide opportunities for Egypt’s youth, women, people with disabilities and the most underserved communities to build better lives for themselves and those around them. HANDS would also like to thank the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funded much of this project.