Help Egyptian women turn their home workshops into profitable small businesses!

Upper Egypt is a region of lush farmland set amid historic Pharaonic-era temples. Unfortunately, despite the region's beauty, the majority of Egyptians who live in extreme poverty reside in this area. The situation is especially challenging for women.

At least 70% of the women in Upper Egypt are unemployed. This can have very negative impacts on their children, many of whom grow up in poverty.

Making and selling handicrafts can be a culturally acceptable income-generating activity for Egyptian women, but it is difficult to earn a sustainable income with a one-person home-based operation. That’s where your support comes in. HANDS’ entrepreneurship mentoring program helps Egyptian women turn their kitchen-table projects into thriving small enterprises that support the businesswomen and generate jobs for the community.

Will you help us train a group of female artisans from Minya, Sohag, Luxor, and Aswan?

They'll be learning about such topics as marketing, licensing, distribution, and quality control. Some of the trainers and mentors will even be Americans, who connect with them remotely, creating the cultural bridges that HANDS is always eager to build.

Although a grant we had secured to sponsor this training has been revoked, we are still eager to provide the promised opportunity to some hopeful entrepreneurs.

For generations, Americans, like you, have reached out with generosity to those in need around the world—including through HANDS! Help us continue to spread the love and share our cultural commitment to helping those less fortunate.