My top priority is to prove my identity” Such was Dahlia’s statement, which might look abrupt and vague; but deep down inside, it cannot be more realistic and factual.

Being 49 years of age, wife and mother of three girls and grandmother of three children, Dahlia is but a typical representation of the Egyptian woman. At the age of 18, she continued going to school until she got her diploma even though she got married to a driver with unstable income.

As a result of this instability of income, she decided to start her self-made embroidery craft and sales business. Remarking on this early venture, Dahlia said, “I was loving to have my self-earned income to spend it the way I wished.”

Moreover, she was known for her keenness to pay her family bills including the house rent, etc. in time. Hence she was introduced to Al Tadamun Microfinance Foundation in 2016, when she managed to take a 6,000 EGP- loan to transform one room of her house into a small grocery shop. Once again in 2017, Al Tadamun agreed to lend her another 8,000 EGP to double her stock of goods.

One year later, she got 13,000 EGP to finance another project of a small stationary shop. Thus this ambitious woman moved from one success to another, repaying her instalments in due time. Which motivated Al Tadamun to help her with an extra sum of 14,000 EGP to launch her fourth project of furnishings and blankets store.

With these successive businesses, her husband offered to quit his driving job and look after the grocery shop. Dahlia rejected this offer and with her own earnings, she bought him a toktok, the income from which should be spent as he liked. Strongly believing in the benefits of collective work and that life is but a series of battles to be fought, this woman manages to divide labour in her four projects among her three daughters. All of whom ambitiously go as well to a morning job.

Dahlia has aptly helped two of her daughters get married and set up a household while the third is on her way.

Dahlia’s utmost dream now is to establish a great big house for her family as well as for each of her daughters’ families” as she cannot think of life without them around.