Cairo: For around 20 years, Mona Al Sayyed, a resident of Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria, has tirelessly done the same job. Every morning, she would push a cart packed with boxes of food snacks and hawk them to local stores in order to eke out a living.
A photo of Mona, now aged 40, dragging the three-wheel cart went viral this week on social media, putting her under rare national limelight.
Mona looked frail in the picture that brought her lavish praise from Egyptian media, donations from benefactors and an invitation to the presidential palace.
“I was not aware of this photo until neighbours told me about it. I don’t know who took it without my notice,” the woman told a local television station.
Mona added that she works for about 12 hours every day, covering a distance of 30 kilometres from her family house to the area where she sells her wares.
“I work in order to earn my living. I like to help myself. I’ve never asked anyone for money,” she told private television ON E in a phone interview from her hometown.
Mona, who dropped out of school at the age of 12, is living with her brother and his three-member family. She has two other brothers whom she refused their repeated suggestion to quit her gruelling job.
“I won’t leave my job. It’s my life. I want to work until the last day in my life.”
When a businessman donated LE20,000 (Dh 4,524) to her this week, she instantly spelt out her plan.
“I’ll use the money in buying goods for my trade and helping my nephew to get married,” she said.
Local media reported that President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi would see Mona in the Ithadiya presidential palace in Cairo in a gesture of support. He also invited her to attend a major conference for youth.
“I am happy to see President Al Sissi because he cares for the poor,” Mona said.
Another businessman offered to pay the cost of a journey for the Muslim woman to perform umra or lesser pilgrimage in Islam’s holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
Since her viral photo captured attention, Mona has been extolled as a symbol of perseverance amid Egypt’s economic hardships including double-digit unemployment and inflation rates.
“No one tells me he has no job to do! Look at this woman,” celebrated TV host Amr Adeeb commented. “You are a woman of iron, gold and diamond,” he said, addressing the woman.
“Her struggle for a livelihood must be a motivating example for the young people, who are wasting their time at cafes,” said Mufeeda Cheeha, another well-known TV anchor.
Online plaudits have also poured in for Mona.
“You are a woman equal 100 men,” said a woman called Noha in a tweet post.
“I hope the idle youth will learn from you,” a man, named Hamido, commented. “Nothing is shameful than shame!” wrote another commentator, praising Mona’s hard work.
Around 30 per cent of families are estimated to be supported by women in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country of around 91 million people.
Egypt’s unemployment hit 12.7 per cent or around 3.6 million people in the first quarter of 2016, compared to 12.8 per cent the same period last year, the state-run Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics said in May.
The Egyptian government has said it aims at cutting unemployment rates to below 10 per cent by 2018. The country’s workforce is officially put at 28.4 million people.
Al Sissi has launched several development mega-projects in several parts of Egypt since he took office in mid-2014. He said the projects are aimed at creating jobs and revitalizing Egypt’s economy that has been in the doldrums due to the unrest that followed the 2011 revolt, which forced long-time president Hosni Mubarak to resign.
In recent months, Al Sissi has repeatedly urged Egyptian to be patient over tough measures designed to put economy on the right track.
Nearly 40 per cent of Egypt’s population is believed to live below the poverty line.
Earlier this month, the government announced free floatation of the local pound and cut state subsidies as part of what it said were necessary and overdue economic reforms.
