Those in search of a pick-me-up on the streets of Cairo need look no further than the roadside for a cup of coffee. Dotted throughout the city, entrepreneurs have turned their cars into portable coffee carts, serving hot drinks from the boot.
In the capital's 6 October district, sandwiched between gated communities and a large industrial zone, Youssef Shalaby, 16, serves thirsty customers.
The teenager, with his father, brother and uncle, converted an old microbus to make some extra cash as Covid-19 job losses began to bite.
“I spend most of my time on this coffee cart. My brother and I take turns manning it so it stays operational 24 hours a day. Unless I’m in school or asleep, I am working here,” Youssef tells The National.
The location means the group caters to a variety of clientele, from upper-class citizens from the gated communities to lorry drivers taking the motorway out of Greater Cairo and towards the Mediterranean coast.
Youssef began working for his father, who owns a couple of other coffee and cigarette kiosks located on two other main roads, when he was only 14 years old.
“Because of the locations of our kiosks, we rely on travelling motorists for our business, but when the lockdown turned Cairo into a ghost town, my father chose a motorway that was close to some residential areas.
"It was a smart move, because for a few months, this converted car was our family’s only income. It became very popular with young Egyptians looking to leave their home quarantines for a little while,” he said.
About 20 kilometres north-east of Youssef’s makeshift cafe, in the district of Mohandessin, Shahd and her best friend Mahmoud operate their own coffee car. But while Youssef's converted microbus is unassuming and practical, Shahd’s converted 1960s Volkswagen Beetle is more stylish and equipped with a more sophisticated coffee machine.
“I had been a barista at a number of cafes before I decided to strike out on my own and start this car. I did not find service jobs easy and the fact that I am a woman meant that I was subjected to a lot of harassment,” says Shahd, 35.
Shahd’s mental state was deeply affected by the difficulties she faced in her past jobs. She refuses to have her car photographed, explaining that her work experience has taught her that it is safer to keep one’s head down and not draw too much attention.
She says that after a troublesome marriage with a controlling man ended in a long-winded divorce earlier this year, she was finally able to launch her own business.
“I wanted to work on my own terms, and because I have been working as a waitress or a barista since my early 20s, I decided to just do what I know and open this coffee car,” she says.
Although she now makes more money than ever before and enjoys the luxury of deciding her own working hours, she says that in the busy Cairo streets, harassment is still a regular source of distress for her.
“Shahd came to me to help her with her project. We have been neighbours and best friends for over 10 years,” says Mahmoud, who mans the car with Shahd during her night shifts.
While his main role in the business is to provide Shahd with protection and a helping hand while she works, another perhaps more important responsibility of his is going to the local police station to plead with the officers to return Shahd’s coffee machine, which is regularly confiscated because she does not have the permits needed to operate.
“Permits are very hard to come by for this kind of business. We are not well-connected people, so although we have applied several times, we have been repeatedly rejected,” Mahmoud says.
Youssef’s family, on the other hand, who have been in the kiosk business for more than a decade, have become well connected enough to avoid having their equipment confiscated.
Although the majority of Cairo’s converted coffee cars are unlicensed, Rahma, 27, works on one that managed to receive permits because it is owned by an entrepreneur from an affluent family.
“I answered an ad earlier this year on Facebook. Someone was looking for a barista to work on a converted coffee car. After looking for work for a few months and not finding anything suitable, I decided to accept the position because it allowed me to bring my daughter to work,” said Rahma, whose five-year-old daughter, Lily, is lounging in the front seat of a 1997 Jeep Cherokee. The car is parked at a nearby garage every evening.
The car’s owner, who has a newer model for his personal use, comes down every morning to drive it to its spot for the day, and returns in the evening to take it back to the garage.
Also recently divorced, Rahma had worked as a checkout teller at a Cairo pharmacy for 10 years before she was fired in 2020 after the pandemic forced the owners to downsize.
“I couldn’t find a job that would allow me to bring Lily to work with me every day. I am not on great terms with my family or my husband’s family, it’s just me and her. I thought about day-care centres, but they’re expensive and most of them close before my shift is over on most days,” says Rahma. She hopes this will get easier when Lily starts kindergarten next year.
Prices at each coffee car vary, depending on the type of drink being served. Youssef keeps things simple, offering three kinds of drinks – Turkish coffee, plain or with milk, and tea – that he sells for EGP 5 ($0.32) each. Shahd, with her barista background, offers plain coffee and tea for EGP 7 ($0.45) each, in addition to cappuccinos and lattes which cost EGP 15 ($1). As for Rahma, she offers espresso, Turkish coffee and tea for EGP 10 ($0.64) and cappuccinos and lattes for EGP 20 ($1.27).
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
((Disclaimer))
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'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Company%20profile
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Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
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Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
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%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
