She was raised up in a street full of shops, that is why Nadia learnt buying and selling skills brilliantly despite not joining the school from an early age. Nadia, 37 years old, has five sons. The eldest boy is Saad who is 17 years old and studies at an industrial secondary school, and the youngest girl is Farah who is aged 3. Nadia’s husband used to work as a salesman in Ramses area, he was primarily responsible for the education of all of his children and his family’s income. But that did not stop Nadia from joining Al Tadamun Microfinance Foundation in 2005. She opened her own garments shop located in the same building in which they live, because of her passion for the profession. After this small family succeeded in raising educated children and increasing family income, everything changed suddenly, because nothing is forever.
Nadia recently decided to change her lending service type from group solidarity to individual loan, and decided to increase the production of her business to give it more attention than before. Because back in 2011, her husband was severely injured in the riots accompanying the Jan 25 revolution, which has had a serious effect on the spine, until he lost his ability to walk. Nadia couldn’t find a choice but to take responsibility of her family, her husband and her five sisters.
It’s been ten years, and Nadia trades in all types of garments until she finally settled on only women’s home wear. Every week she goes to Shubra in order to buy the necessary goods. But Saad, the eldest son, always helps his mother either in standing in the shop or in buying the weekly supplies. He often goes to school during the day and helps his mother during the evening. His help is well appreciated by Nadia especially in recording sales and earnings, because of Nadia’s illiteracy.
Although her husband’s family owns the building in which Nadia’s shop is located, but she insists on paying the shop’s rent from the beginning. Nadia also received a mother certificate of honor presented by one of the local associations in 2016. Nadia dreams to sell her husband’s apartment that was given to them by the state after his injury, and to buy a nearby piece of land on which to build a big house for all children and their future families.