In Cairo’s 6th of October, near Little Damascus, a grassroots non-profit is running a school to help disenfranchised refugee children get back into the classroom. We meet the co-founder of Fard, and unravel how this female trio built an organisation that helps over 13,000 people. Feb 12,2017 It’s a windy morning in this bustling courtyard...
In the heart of an Islamic cemetery that 1.5 million Egyptians call home, a cultural initiative led by a Polish architect is bringing graffiti, sculptures, and handcraft workshops to an area plagued by stigma. Valentina Primo speaks to Agnieszka Dobrowolska, the woman behind the project. Feb 01,2017 A’m Mosaad is sitting outside his carpentry workshop, a...
The Moroccan-based startup connects women with security agents spread across ‘hot’ or danger zones, who can intervene at the tap of a button, and its founder, Samia Haimoura, is planning to launch the social venture in Egypt and Tunisia soon. Jan 06,2017 Zaineb is walking cheerily down the street in the Moroccan city of Efrane...
Egypt’s entrepreneurial generation is as fearless as ever. Taking on mammoth challenges from FinTech, to transportation, to augmented reality solutions for the deaf, these are the country’s youngest entrepreneurs driving change. They are the silent warriors of social change; the valiant innovators who don’t fear age barriers, gender stereotypes or cultural chains. These intrepid entrepreneurs...
Her exhausted, bare feet step on the carpet with ceremonial reverence as she leaves her plastic sandals at the doorstep. The house floor is not paved, but the straw carpet keeps the living room immaculate. Three large sofas frame the room, but there is no table at the center. In fact, there is not a...
After she was imprisoned in her native land, Ilili Jamal escaped Ethiopia’s persecution of the Oromo in a torturous three-week-long journey to take refuge in Egypt. Oct 02,2016 Ilili Jamal didn’t know that she was pregnant when they arrested her. She realised it sometime throughout the torturous five months she spent in prison, as she...
Persecuted, unlawfully arrested, and murdered in their homeland, Oromo refugees flee Ethiopia only to face rejection in Egypt. After two men immolated themselves in Cairo last month, Valentina Primo delves into one of the nation’s most neglected refugee crises. Aug 17,2016 Dawn had just broken when Abdallah* heard someone banging on the door. Staggering his...
If you came to Gharb Suheil, you would probably remain as shocked as I was. You would probably wonder how people manage to survive in a town so seemingly paused in time. You would wonder why people instantly invite you to their homes, where there’s always more seats than their own. You would find yourself...
Estamos saliendo de Jerusalén y el atardecer dibuja una línea naranja fuego detrás de nosotros, reflejando a la vez la tristeza y el abatimiento que la ciudad deja en el alma. Divida entre una parte Este palestina (donde viven musulmanes y cristianos) y una parte Oeste israelí (en la que residen hebreos), la ciudad exude...
In most of the world intra-familial marriage is considered blatantly taboo but in many countries, including Egypt, the practice remains commonplace. Valentina Primo meets three cousin couples to talk societal norms, parental pressure, and the potentially dangerous medical ramifications. Feb 13,2016 A washed winter sunset is looming through the window of this cosy flat in...
