Cairo; Sara-K. Hannig Nour is the Swiss founder of Sara’s Organic Food. She moved to Egypt in 2011 after meeting her husband and the same year she started developing a family-owned agricultural land that has become today an organic farm in Egypt producing organic and premium fruits, vegetables, herbs and eggs and delivering food baskets straight from the source.

 

“Egypt has some of the best tasting produce in the world, but unfortunately people do not always have access to it,” says Ms. Hannig Nour. “Especially in a city like Cairo, people have lost touch with nature and a lot of children do not know how vegetables and fruits grow. At our farm you can come to see it first hand, you can get to know your food and your farm, a trusted source for clean food, making a healthier life easier in Egypt.”

 

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Fayoum; many people do not know that the thriving pottery culture of Fayoum’s Tunis village is in large part owed to Swiss entrepreneur Evelyne Porret! After studying decorative arts – with a specialization in ceramics – in Geneva, Ms. Porret moved to Egypt in 1960 where she collaborated with Ramses Wissa Wassef in pottery workshops for children living in the countryside as well as other workshops in Upper Egypt. These different experiences prompted her to create a pottery school in Fayoum’s Tunis village which has over the years significantly contributed to the development of the community.

 

“Some of the school's students have opened independent pottery workshops that attract a large number of visitors and bring in income,” says Ms. Porret. “The fame of Tunis village has triggered many initiatives and led to the opening of hotels, guest houses, etc.”

 

Ms. Porret said that the pottery school has allowed girls to have personal income thanks to their creations. She added, however, that some girls abandon what they learn in the school as soon as they are married. She hopes that more women would maintain their passion for the craft, as a way of developing their talent and boosting their income for their families.

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Ms. Porret’s inspiration lives on in Fayoum’s Tunis village which has become famous for its pottery tradition.

 

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Alexandria; Six years ago, after finishing their education in Switzerland, Amira and Tamara Ragab moved to Egypt and decided to make Alexandria the location of their beauty salon. Both sisters have studied and specialized in the arts of cosmetics, beauty and well-being in their native Switzerland and wished to share their knowledge in their home country, Egypt.

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The Ragab sisters said that after working in the beauty field for three years, they realized that many women’s desire to see immediate results in their appearance is increasingly prompting them to undergo painful cosmetic surgeries even when natural treatments could be as effective. Amira and Tamara are trying to motivate their clients to use natural methods which they said may be costly but are risk-free and more effective over the long-term.

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For International Women’s Day, the Ragab sisters had a message to share: “We want to inspire women to go after what they really want in life and to never be scared of their goals. More importantly, to never be scared of failure. Be yourself, trust your vision and everything else will fall into place.”

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More about Amira and Tamara Ragab’s beauty salon can be found here:

www.facebook.com/pg/SPBSwissperfectBeauty/photos

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Hurghada; “My big dream of living and owning a restaurant by the sea and in a warm country became true at the age of 49,” says Swiss entrepreneur Marlis Seves, founder and owner of Le Garage Gourmet Burger and Malu’s Deli restaurants in Egypt’s El Gouna resort. Ms. Seves moved to El Gouna in 2004 and opened a series of business ventures. She currently focuses on Le Garage which specializes in gourmet burgers and Malu’s Deli which focuses on healthy food options.

 

“My contribution to the Egyptian people has been to provide jobs with full training, career prospects and competitive salaries,” says Ms. Seves. “For International Woman's Day my message is to strive for independence. Don't be afraid to take risks, study hard, and become successful business women.”

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