Women Sewing for a Living
Egypt
Embarking on a Tailor-Made Future
The Red Sea on one side, desert and mountains on the other: the Egyptian port town of Safaga, 53 km from Hurghada, is a place where we Europeans love to spend our holidays. For many locals, tourism provides their livelihood. Those who find a place within the local tourism and economic framework can make ends meet, but women often face greater challenges.
Together with our partner the Omar Ibn El Khattab Organisation, the DERTOUR Foundation is now supporting a project here with far‑reaching impact: it brings economic participation, social integration and more sustainable production together—and places women, who are otherwise often overlooked, firmly at its heart.
Women Empowerment – Sewing for a Living
The Omar Ibn El Khattab Organisation runs a small sewing workshop in Safaga. At present, the workshop is equipped with only a few sewing machines, at which 18 women produce handmade items – including the charming Sentido Green Buddies, which are offered for sale in the new Aldiana and Sentido hotels in Naga Bay.
What are Green Buddies?
The Green Buddies initiative is part of DERTOUR Hotels & Resorts’ sustainability programme. Hotel brands such as ananea, Aldiana, Sentido and Calimera support the project.
On arrival, guests find the Green Buddy hanging on their room door. Each Green Buddy comes in a different shape reflecting a local motif. If guests leave it on their door, it means they do not wish their room to be serviced that day – a small gesture with a big positive impact on the environment.
Guests who wish to take a Green Buddy home may purchase one as a souvenir from reception. They are especially popular with children. With every purchase, our guests support the local community.
At Sentido Naga Bay near Safaga, we collaborate with the Omar Ibn El Khattab Organisation to have the Green Buddies handcrafted from recycled and locally sourced materials in the sewing workshop. Each one is unique and benefits the women involved in the project.
the form of a fish.
The Green Buddies initiative is part of DERTOUR Hotels & Resorts’ sustainability programme. Hotel brands such as ananea, Sentido and Calimera support the project.
On arrival, guests find the Green Buddy hanging on their room door. Each Green Buddy comes in a different shape reflecting a local motif. If guests leave it on their door, it means they do not wish their room to be serviced that day—a small gesture with a big positive impact on the environment.
Guests who wish to take a Green Buddy home may purchase one as a souvenir from reception. They are especially popular with children. With every purchase, our guests support the local community.
At Sentido Naga Bay near Safaga, we collaborate with the Omar Ibn El Khattab Organisation to have the Green Buddies handcrafted from recycled and locally sourced materials in the sewing workshop. Each one is unique and benefits the women involved in the project.
The majority of the women working in the workshop are widows or single mothers who earn their living through this activity and support their families. The DERTOUR Foundation aims to equip the small workshop with modern machinery and additional equipment so that in future at least 50 women can earn a sustainable income here. The shared goal of both foundations is to develop the existing facility into a modern, more sustainably producing textile centre.
To boost demand for the workshop’s products, it cooperates with the Aldiana and Sentido hotels in Naga Bay. Every fortnight, the women offer their products directly to guests at attractive sales stalls in both hotels—a further pillar in securing their income. They also provide their products, on request, to other hotels in the Safaga area.
Producing More Sustainably, Preserving Local Resources
What benefits the women must also be future‑proof and take environmental considerations into account. Therefore, the installation of a solar power system is planned, to enable a self‑sufficient, more environmentally friendly operation that secures long‑term viability and growth.
Moreover, more sustainable materials will be used and waste‑reduction techniques employed.
The Plan
To expand the workshop’s capacity, the acquisition of new sewing machines and comprehensive training for the women are top priorities. The workshop will also be modernised and, for example, equipped with contemporary air conditioning. For the power supply, the installation of solar panels is ready to commence—a team is already being assembled for this task.
The women working in the workshop clearly grasp what this project means for them and their families. One of the widows puts it succinctly: “This workshop has given me hope and the opportunity to support my children. With the new equipment, I believe we can achieve even more.” Thus, the project is not only an investment in the future of these families, but also in courage, dignity and hope.
Omar Bin Al Khattab Charitable Society
Since 1972, the Omar Bin Al Khattab Charitable Society has supported families affected by poverty in the Middle East. It provides material and financial aid to needy families, operates a vocational training centre for craft trades and other educational institutions, and supports students.