Egypt Honors Mother Who Dressed As Man For 43 Years To Provide For Family

 

Photo Credit: The Guardian

A mother's love is genuine from the deepest of heart. 

On Sunday, March 23rd, in a ceremony at the Egyptian presidential palace, 65-year-old Sisa Gaber Abu Douh was honoured and awarded "woman breadwinner" award for her over four decades of dressing as a man to provide for her family.

Abu Douh from Luxor-Egypt, whose husband died when she was pregnant with her daughter Houda in the 1970's also received a prize of about $6,500 and met Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi (pictured above right). According to Agence France Presse reports,  Abu Daooh wore a traditional male robe (pictured above left) and turban while receiving the award, Abu Daooh was praised by the president as "an exemplary working woman."

Al-Arabiya reported that being the sole bread winner, Abu Daooh quickly transformed herself by dressing as a man in order to be able to find jobs easily and took up jobs in brick making and shoe shining, but altered her appearance to avoid being harassed.

"As to protect myself from men and the harshness of their looks and being targeted by them due to traditions, I decided to be a man … and dressed in their clothes and worked alongside them in other villages where no one knows me.” I have decided to die in these clothes. I’ve got used to it. It’s my whole life and I can’t leave it now.” She said.

Abu Douh is still working though she's aged because the husband of Abu Douh's daughter can't work, The Guardian report, “My mom is the one who still provides for the family," Abu Douh's daughter said, "She wakes up every day at 6 a.m. to start polishing shoes at the station in Luxor. I carry the work kits for her as she now advanced in age.”