AYB works in El Al-Arbe'en Quarter through Its First Franchise in Suez City

Mostafa, a fourth year petrol engineering student in Suez Canal University in the city of Suez, established an AYB franchise in his university after witnessing the state of Suez during and after the revolution, and also witnessing the murder of the first martyrs of the revolution in Al-Arbeʼen quarter.

The city of Suez had a great role in the 25th of January revolution of Egypt. Its people were demonstrating peacefully demanding a better life and demanding the removal of the regime. Like Tahrir square in Cairo, Al-Arbeʼen quarter was the hub of all demonstrations in Suez, but unlike the area of Tahrir square, the quarter of Al-Arbeʼen is very poor. This quarter has witnessed a lot during the revolution; shouts of liberty, peaceful demonstrations, attack of the outlaws..... and the first martyrs in the Egyptian revolution.

On the 25th of January, the day the revolution exploded all over Egypt, was the day of the martyrs of Suez. At night, when the demonstrators were demanding peacefully for the removal of the regime, the police forces surrounded them and started shooting them to death. This night, 13 men, most of them young men lost their lives while fighting for their rights of a better life.

The next day, the people of Suez carried the 13 martyrs on their shoulders across the streets for their funeral. The police forces, once again, shot the peaceful people who were calling for their freedom and on their way to bury the young men who sacrificed their lives.

The quarter of Al-Arbeʼen in Suez city, is now not only considered poor but also devastated, damaged, and left in ruins. After the 25th of January, the quarter witnessed the attack of outlaws or as they are called in Egypt “elbaltageya”, who crashed the shops, stole damaged cars in the streets, and left the habitants of the quarter terrorized.

Mostafa was surprised to find out that the city of Suez suffers from a high unemployment rate, although itʼs the city of the Suez Canal which should be offering many jobs for the residents of this city specially its youth. According to Mostafa, the city of Suez also suffers from negligence in terms of developmental efforts.

Originally a resident of Cairo, Mostafa has been living in Suez for a couple of years due to his studies in the Suez Canal University. During these years, he got attached to this city and to its pleasant and chivalrous people. It was a heartbreaker for him to witness this originally poor area of Al-Arbeʼen become even poorer, and its youth dying leaving widows and poor families behind them.

Mostafa decided to open a new page and live high hopes, as the revolution lifted up the spirit of various active youth in Egypt to become agents of change in Egypt. He established AYB franchise in his university in order to fight for the right of the poor in leading a respectful and healthy life. He will start with the Al-Arbeʼen quarter in honor of the martyrs of the revolution, and specially with their families. His aim is to promote the idea of sustainable development first through his university and then through the rest of the Suez community. He is planning on giving training and loans in order for poor families to establish their own small projects and sustain themselves economically. Mostafa has a dream for the city of Suez. He wants a better life for the poor, he dreams of a better Egypt, and he wants to make real change.