“We work with women who have suffered tremendously and lived through the horrors of war. They’ve lost everything; their families, their livelihood, the colors and smells of their countries, their identity, their food…” The raw emotion in Margarita Andrade’s voice is palpable, and it’s clear that she is a woman on a mission: a mission to support women experiencing hardship. Andrade is the co-founder of Malaika Linens and Threads of Hope along with Goya Gallagher. While the former is a linens factory and Zamalek-based shop, the latter is a social enterprise designed to support underprivileged women in Egypt and refugees and provide them with a glimmer of hope during dark times. Established in 2019, Threads of Hope provides embroidery and craft training programs for women to support them in pursuing self-employment opportunities and enrich their lives, but it offers so much more than that. Andrade wanted to offer these women as safe a space as possible by working hard to make the training premises more than just a workspace; rather, a home away from home. “We work with underprivileged women who live in very poor, overpopulated areas where there is…
