Egypt's women-led car wash goes off the beaten track

Record ID: 1356413

  • Title: Egypt's women-led car wash goes off the beaten track
  • Date: 14th September 2018
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (RECENT) (REUTERS) WOMAN DRIVING CAR AND MOVING INTO WAREHOUSE SIGN ON WALL READING (English): "Wash it" / LIST OF PRICES OF SERVICES OFFERED VARIOUS OF CO-FOUNDER OF "WASH IT", MONA KOLA, HOSING DOWN CAR WITH WATER CO-FOUNDER OF "WASH IT", DAHLIA SWEILAM, SPRAYING SOAP ONTO CAR USING HOSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CO-FOUNDER OF "WASH IT", MONA KOLA, SAYING: "We th
  • Embargoed: 28th September 2018 10:44
  • Keywords: Women-led car-wash business in Egypt car-wash in Egypt Egyptian women women's rights
  • Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
  • City: CAIRO, EGYPT
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Living / Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA0018XLN32V
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Car enthusiasts Mona Kola and her business partner Dahlia Sweilam are breaking social norms by operating a women-led car wash service in Cairo that they say is the first of its kind in the Egyptian capital.
    The pair began their small business looking for ways to make money, while also challenging the notion that some trades are exclusive to men.
    "This is what pushed us to go through the experience of entering a field dominated by men," co-founder Kola said.
    "Wash it" has since become a destination for many customers who need to wash their cars, as its two founders continue to fight for a place in the otherwise male-dominated field.
    The founders, 34-year-old Kola and 33-year-old Sweilam, operate out of a small warehouse with very basic tools.
    They mostly hand-wash customers' cars, soaping and wiping away dirt with cloths, challenging the idea that this type of manual labour needs men.
    "We changed this idea completely, and we don't feel that it's tiring because we love it so much, that's why it's not a burden on us," Sweilam said.
    The women said that they received mixed reactions from people when they first started, with some opposing the idea and many others supporting it.
    "Wash it" founders plan to employ women only, but their service is available to anyone.
    Kola and Sweilam hope to grow their business and invest in a larger space that can be fitted with the latest equipment in the car wash business.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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