Empower Women in Upper Egypt through Craftmaking

Poverty and inequality continue to hinder the economic and social advancement of many Egyptians, particularly women, youth, and people with disabilities. These groups often face compounded barriers such as unemployment and limited access to essential resources and services, including healthcare and education.

In response to these challenges, Hands Along the Nile Development Services (HANDS), in partnership with the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS), launched the Young Entrepreneurs Exchange Program (YEP). Originally funded by the U.S. Department of State and later by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, YEP was designed to empower women artisans and aspiring entrepreneurs by equipping them with the tools and skills needed to build sustainable livelihoods.

The program began with two U.S.-based training sessions in Chicago and Washington, D.C., where 25 Egyptian female artisans and entrepreneurs with disabilities participated in intensive small business training, networking sessions, and site visits to successful American enterprises, NGOs, and public institutions. These initial exchanges created opportunities for cross-cultural learning, relationship-building, and knowledge-sharing between American professionals and Egyptian participants.

Following the U.S. exchanges, the program expanded to reach more entrepreneurs inside Egypt. Additional in-person and online training sessions were organized for both the original participants and 80 additional entrepreneurs who were unable to travel to the U.S. Led by American and Egyptian experts, these sessions covered practical topics such as financial literacy, business planning, marketing and sales strategies, product design, and quality control—key elements for launching or improving small enterprises, particularly in the handicrafts sector.

Seeing the program’s positive impact—where participants significantly improved their livelihoods by gaining valuable knowledge and skills—we continued to raise additional funds from private donors and organizations to sustain and expand the initiative. Over the years, YEP grew into a broader network of young female craft-makers and entrepreneurs, providing ongoing mentorship, training, and access to local and international business networks. Participants also received support in connecting with helpful resources, marketing their products, expanding their businesses, and securing valuable partnerships.

Since 2015, with additional funding from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and other donors, YEP has trained an additional 180 entrepreneurs, many of whom were women from Cairo, Alexandria, and Upper Egypt. In addition to training on small business management, financial literacy, and marketing, several rounds of expert trainers from the U.S. provided participants with skills in product design, quality control for international trade, and online marketing. The program also included a business plan competition, inviting all trainees to submit proposals. A panel of industry leaders, government officials, and civil society experts evaluated the submissions, awarding grants and media recognition to the three best ideas. Furthermore, product fairs and exhibitions were organized to provide participants with direct access to potential buyers and partners.

Beyond tangible business growth, YEP fostered lasting cross-cultural connections and strengthened positive perceptions between Americans and Egyptians. Alumni from the original U.S. exchanges have since become trainers and mentors, helping empower additional women in their communities to launch income-generating projects and craft businesses. The program has created ripple effects of economic development, social empowerment, and intercultural understanding, demonstrating how strategic investment in women entrepreneurs can uplift entire communities and strengthen U.S.-Egyptian relations.

In 2024, recognizing the program’s success and its ability to uplift women in impoverished communities—many of whom have little prospect of finding employment or generating income—the U.S. Embassy in Cairo invited us to design a training program specifically for young female craft-makers in some of Egypt’s most impoverished areas, including Sohag, Luxor, Minia, and Beni Suef. A small grant was issued to support local facilitators in delivering training, as well as mentoring and online sessions led by American experts, culminating in a week-long in-person training in Egypt.

Unfortunately, due to recent cuts in international aid, our grant was suddenly canceled, preventing us from launching the program—even though potential participants had already been notified.

HANDS applied to GlobalGiving to participate in online fundraising for this project through their platform. Fundraising efforts started in May 2025. After receiving the first installments of funds raised, HANDS was able to restart the implementation process in Egypt, which had been on hold until we could ensure sufficient funding to commence the activities. After signing a revised grant and project plan agreement with our Egyptian partner, CEOSS, they announced the project’s availability in the local communities of Upper Egypt, in the governorates of Minia and Beni Suef, and opened the recruitment process. As of the end of July 2025, the recruitment process is near completion, and the project staff in Egypt are also working on planning the subsequent activities in which the participants will engage. In the next several weeks, a total of 40 participants will be selected, and the project implementation will continue by providing training and networking opportunities for project participants.

Further reports of activities will be provided in the future.