WATCH Visually impaired Egyptian couple making a living from weaving bamboo
Samir Gaber and his wife Heba Mahmoud, both visually impaired, sit in
the living room of their Cairo home weaving bamboo shoots into bags and
chairs to make a living.
The small business which they started together in 2013 was a way for
them to earn an income enough to feed their two young children.
With little assistance, both Gaber and Mahmoud have taught themselves
how to weave colourful bamboo shoots into designs of various shapes and
sizes.
I taught myself how to weave bamboo. As soon as I bought bamboo two
baskets, which is a hard material, I learned how to handle the sticks
and to make shapes out of them, to weave them, where to pull from and
where (the stick) should end up.
Gaber’s brother helps him differentiate between the colours when making
the products, or accompanies Mahmoud to the market where they buy the
shoots.
“I taught myself how to weave bamboo. As soon as I bought bamboo two
baskets, which is a hard material, I learned how to handle the sticks
and to make shapes out of them, to weave them, where to pull from and
where (the stick) should end up. I had to learn all of these details
from the very beginning, even before I learnt from my wife how to work
with this material,” Samir Gaber said
But the business is suffering. Gaber says he is unable to sell his
products and has for the past two years been borrowing money to pay his
finances.
Today, in debt and with no potential customers, Gaber is unable to pay his children’s tuition.
Mahmoud, now 38, suffered from vision problems when she was only one
year old because of a fever, while Gaber, 40, became visually impaired
in an accident some 15 years ago. But the couple started a life together
despite their family’s reservations.
“Our families wondered how we would get married, how we would raise
children or how will you live with each other? They used to ask us how
we would turn on a stove, or just deal with each other on a regular
basis? I said to them that it should be fine, I had seen visually
impaired couples before make marriages work just fine,” Mahmoud said.
Each product typically takes just a few hours to complete and is usually sold for less than 100 Egyptian pounds ($5.5).
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