Samira traveled a grueling 10 hours from her small village in the Sohag governate of Upper Egypt to attend a HANDS-sponsored vocational training program in Cairo. She arrived in tears, having left behind her three young children in the hope that she would learn the skills she needed to provide for them. On the first day, her youngest son called her, crying, saying “Learn hair dyeing well, Mom, so you can find a job.

With this encouragement from home, Samira worked hard throughout the program and prayed for peace for her family while she was away. By the end of the ten-day course, she had developed some solid skills in styling and coloring hair. 

When she returned to her village, she opened her own small business in her house, where she worked tirelessly, cutting and coloring hair for friends and neighbors.



Samira, who has now built a thriving home business, recently called our local partners to say, “God has blessed me greatly. I have a lot of work and earn a lot of money! . . . I am so grateful to have learned a vocation that has benefited me and my family.”

Thanks to your support, Samira has built a fulfilling business that provides for her family. From her tearful arrival at the job-skills training program to her recent call of gratitude, Samira’s story is a joyous one of success!