Cairo: A provincial Egyptian barber has gone the extra mile to show benevolence to the hairy poor. Instead of enjoying his weekend, Ramadan Khairy, a barber in the Delta governorate of Beheira, has devoted his day off to roam the streets of his hometown, looking for the poor and the homeless people to cut their hair free of charge.
He says the motive is his belief in the importance of social interdependence.
“I previously experienced hard circumstances and found one person coming to offer me a helping hand,” the young barber told news portal Al Youm al Saba. “I put myself in the place of others whom I come across. I would talk to them. This is part of my job to put them in a better mood.”
Khairy, dubbed the “barber of the poor” added that he shrugged off sarcastic comment his act had initially drawn, saying his charity seeks reward from Allah. “In the beginning, people would wonder that I abandoned the barber shop and rest in favour of walking down the streets to cut the hair of the poor. But later, critics started to appreciate my effort and encourage me. Some shop owners support me by offering clothes and other gifts to give to the needy.”
Khairy is keen to comply with health precautions against COVID-19 while going round his charitable business on the street.
“I use sterilised tools and disposable kits,” he said. “Working on the street doesn’t mean I use any tools of bad quality.”
In recent years, the administration of President Abdel-Fattah Al Sissi has launched a series of mega-projects across Egypt, including one dubbed “A Decent Life” aimed at improving the quality of life in the countryside benefitting nearly 55 million of the nation’s total population of over 100 million.
