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As the daughter and wife of garbage collectors, Ragaa Bekheit could not imagine life outside of the recycling community where her family resided. Her daily life revolved around the rhythmic routine of trash collection, engaged in sorting and salvaging waste to sustain her family’s livelihood. Lacking much formal education and work experience, Ragaa faced considerable […]
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In a room with light pink walls, behind her dark sunglasses, Nafusa tirelessly sorts through used garments of different hues and patterns. Nafusa provides for her family and helps disadvantaged members of her community through her small business as a vendor of preowned clothes. Nafusa had long dedicated her time and energy to her secondhand […]
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Sitting in a room filled with colorful boxes of sweets, Zainab counts her earnings and records them with a blue pen. As a resourceful and ambitious mother providing for five children, she works relentlessly to develop her small roadside grocery store. She had initially lacked the funds to grow her business. It was only after […]
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Like many young Egyptians, Mario, from Malawy in the governorate of Minya, had been facing long-term unemployment, which left him unable to provide for himself. At 28 years old, he knew he had to make a change if he ever wanted to move out of his parent’s home and start his own family. So, […]
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Mounira was grateful for her family and content with the simple life she led in rural Egypt, but worry over her ability to provide for herself and her loved ones on her meager seamstress wages consumed her. The house she lived in was small and unfinished. Her daughter was soon-to-be married, and Mounira worried she […]
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In line with our mission to foster and facilitate connections between professionals in Egypt and the U.S. in order to support Egyptians working to address priority needs in their country, HANDS was thrilled and honored to host an online exchange between university career centers in Egypt and the U.S. This program focused on a topic […]
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Sometimes, running a business is a family endeavor. Nawal, a 45-year old woman, lives with her husband, sons, and daughter-in-law in a rural Egyptian community. Like many households living nearby, agriculture plays a significant role in their daily life. Nawal’s husband is a farmer who owns a plot of land that he cultivates with one […]
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Some aspiring entrepreneurs are barely out of their teens but carry the weight of a family on their shoulders. As a young mother of two children, 23-year-old Eman lives with her husband and in-laws in a rural Egyptian community. In Egypt, women from underserved areas may face barriers when attempting to join the workforce. This […]
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In a dusty village in Beni Suef, a rural governorate with a poverty rate of more than 60%, Hanan, a mother of two, was struggling to make ends meet. Like most women from disadvantaged communities, Hanan has faced many challenges in her life. She likely married her husband at a young age, and her schooling […]
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It has come to HANDS’ attention that there are a group of scammers posing as our organization on social media, contacting people under the pretense of recruitment and then asking for financial information. If you have received such a message, please ignore it. HANDS does not ask any employee to disclose such information, and recruitment […]
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Obtaining vocational skills, pursuing a career in the STEM field, or just becoming the first in one’s family to be fully literate in Arabic. These are all opportunities made possible for Egyptian youth from vulnerable households because of the generosity of HANDS’ donors! Often the children of underserved families drop out of school to pick-up […]
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HANDS was recently informed that one of our talented exchange program alumni, Aziz Taouri, was awarded the 2020 Professional Fellows Program Alumni Impact Award by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs. We hope that the entire HANDS community joins us in celebrating Aziz for his remarkable accomplishment! Aziz’s story with HANDS began […]
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The gender economic inequality that persists throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and all around the globe is not only unjust, but it also remains a source of untapped economic opportunity. According to a McKinsey study, closing the gender gap in the economy would add $28 trillion to global GDP by 2025. […]
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In these days of health and economic challenges, know that your investments, through HANDS, are empowering hardworking Egyptians to keep themselves and their families afloat. One such person who has benefitted from your generosity is Hani, who built a furniture business with a microloan he received from generous HANDS donors. Click here or the video below to listen […]
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Through your generosity, Egyptians in vulnerable communities are building more prosperous futures for themselves and their families. One of these fortunate families is Sara’s. In the Upper Egyptian town of Minya, Sara’s family was struggling to subsist on her husband’s salary. Sara needed to find an additional source of income to support their household. Having […]
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During these challenging times of global pandemic, we hope that heart-warming stories from the beneficiaries of your generosity provide some encouragement. Today we share one such story—that of Soaad. Soaad is a 61-year-old Egyptian woman from the Beni Suef governorate in central Egypt. She is a widow with two grown children, the older of whom has severe […]
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As elsewhere around the world, especially in developing countries, women in Egypt are disproportionately represented in the informal economy. This term refers to economic activities that are not subject to contracts or governmental regulation and do not offer protections like social security, health insurance, and pension benefits. Women selling fruit and vegetables at roadside stands, […]
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We often share stories about the microloans you generously provide enabling beneficiaries to create small-scale businesses, but these funds can also empower entrepreneurs to impact their communities through larger-scale job creation. In a southern suburb of Cairo, Mohammed owned a cafe that only had the capacity to serve beverages to customers. He longed to expand […]
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2020: It’s been a challenging year! We are so thankful for each of you who have stood by HANDS during this time, empowering us to find creative ways to serve Egypt’s most vulnerable groups. Despite the limitations caused by this year’s pandemic, we are happy to report that the efforts you invest in are flourishing. […]
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Thank you to everyone who supported microloans and job-skills training for vulnerable Egyptian communities by joining HANDS’ Virtual Fall Benefit Event! We had a wonderful time celebrating the impact of your investments in Egypt with you all. A highlight of the afternoon was a captivating live interview conducted by WXQR’s Nimet Habachy with Ambassador David Welch and his wife, career US diplomat […]
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In this time of global health concerns, we all need to hear encouraging stories occasionally. This is an account of a multi-generational Egyptian household trying to support itself in a time of hardship with a little help from generous HANDS donors. Mary, from the village of Rida in the Minya governorate, is married to a carpenter. Not […]
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During these difficult times, it can be challenging for families to support themselves. Two income households are often better able to weather such times of crisis. Today, we share Ebtisam’s story. Ebtisam is from Rida, a village in the Minya governorate, where her husband works as a driver. When his income was not enough to […]
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When we think of the microloans that you so generously make possible for the people of Egypt, we often picture small grocery stores or other retail shops, but in more rural areas, agricultural projects are also popular startups. The project that Rons, a woman from Hasan Basha village in Upper Egypt, launched is one such […]
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