Iman Samir Ali

Egypt - In one of the streets of Upper Egypt, Amina Hassan—known as Um Sherif—stands amid the flames of burning coal inside a small chicken-grilling shop. She defies society’s judgment and the demanding nature of the job to secure a stable income for her family after her husband passed away four years ago.

 

When her husband died, her daughters were in high school and her son was in sixth grade. With no one to support her and no alternative source of income, she had no option but to take over her husband’s chicken-grilling shop. Suddenly, she found herself responsible for everything: her children, the household, and all expenses. So she decided to reopen the shop.

 

Amina says:“At first, my son rejected the idea and told me: ‘It’s not right for you to stand in a grilling shop; this work is for men. People will talk, and the job is tough—you won’t handle the heat of the coal.’ But I tried to convince him that work is not shameful, and that we must work together to cover the costs of school and the household. In the end, he agreed.”

 

She explains that when she first started working, customers were surprised to see a woman running a chicken-grilling shop. They looked at her with astonishment, but over time, they got used to her presence and began supporting her. She now has customers who trust her and return regularly.

 

Regarding her daily routine, she opens the shop every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. She begins her work when her son leaves for school. When he finishes, he comes to the shop, allowing her to return home to rest for a while before returning to work. He then goes back to his studies.

 

Amina faced many hardships at first: “In the beginning, it was very difficult. My hands were injured from cutting the chicken, but over time I got used to it, and now I wear gloves while I work. As for the smoke from the coal, I try to manage it with an exhaust fan,” she says, noting that the hardest season is summer, when high temperatures combine with the heat of the grill. She tried hiring workers during the summer, but they couldn’t withstand the heat, so she had to continue working alone.

 

Amina dreams of expanding the shop and turning it into both a shop and a restaurant, and of starting delivery service. But the shop’s small size currently prevents her from hiring any workers.