Doha Mohamed is a 26-year-old courier. For a year now, she’s been taking the streets of Cairo by storm on her scooter, making deliveries from Giza to New Cairo!
Doha first tried out being a courier while subbing for her friend, never knowing she would grow to love this job and pursue it herself. She’s worked as a secretary, a call center customer service agent, and in sales, but, she loved none of those jobs as much as her courier gig. Doha dreams to one day start her own shipping company and have a team of female couriers by her side. We sat down with her to know all about her life as a female courier in Egypt.
In order to make fast deliveries, Doha Mohamed first had to learn how to ride a scooter
“I bought my scooter before I even knew how to ride it! I taught myself in a garage,” she said.
“Even though I fell a lot at first, I got up and kept trying every time.”
“I watched a lot of Youtube videos and it got easier with time. It ended up taking less time than I thought it would; after a week, I was driving my scooter in the streets,” she continued.
For a woman in Egypt, being a courier isn’t really an easy career choice. We asked Doha how her friends and family perceive her work.
“Everyone around me finds me odd for deciding to do this. They tell me all the time “why would you put yourself through this?” No one in my family supported me, they didn’t really take it seriously either. They were very shocked when they discovered I’d bought the scooter,” she said.
People’s perception of her work is one challenge Doha has to overcome, another is that she doesn’t have a space of her own to manage deliveries. However, she’s getting there!
“One day I’ll have an office with a team of women taking orders and coordinating everything.”
Doha Mohamed’s ambition knows no bounds…
At first, she thought of buying a tuk-tuk to carry out the deliveries, but, she realized this would only allow her to take on deliveries in very few neighborhoods. So, she went for the scooter because it could take her on highways and to all regions in Cairo.
On whether being a woman has been an obstacle on the road to being a courier, she said…
“Driving scooters is for everyone! Women have proven time and time again that they can do everything.”
Surely, Doha’s story is proof of that. For the fastest delivery in Egypt call her on this number: 01124436068 or check out her Facebook page here.