Zeinab, 19, joined Al Tadamun Microfinance Foundation this year with a loan size LE 1,500. She lives with her parents and seven younger brothers and sisters. She is literate and dropped out of school after 1st prep.

Her project is producing ladies’ wallets. At the age of 11 she learnt the skill from her father, who has been in this business for the past 30 years.

Her parents and sister help her out in the project. Her dad would buy all the raw material required for the wallets on a weekly basis from El Moskey district such as fabric, fillings, thread zips and plastic bags for packaging in large quantities. He would then visit the wholesaler and show him the colors available and sizes and the wholesaler would then place his order.

Zeinab has two machines that she uses for her product, her father cuts the shape of the wallet and then she starts to sew it together and adds the zip and the filling.

With the help of her family, Zeinab can produce up to 400 dozens (4,800 pieces) of wallets per week. She packs every dozen in plastic bags. Her father would then deliver the order to the wholesaler and would then start working on the new order.

Zeinab’s dream is to one day have her own workshop, with more machines and more staff