“I left the kids with the sitter at home” is not a common phrase you would hear Egyptian parents utter. The whole concept of having a babysitter is not that common in Egypt, unlike having a full-time nanny. However, a young team of dreamers have decided it is about time for moms to get some part-time help with the little ones. From there emerged the idea of Orcas, the first babysitting service in Egypt.
Orcas started first as Cairositters, a local startup that offers all parents in need access to qualified and experienced babysitters. “We are always looking for new ways to enhance the child’s learning abilities, so we decided to introduce the tutoring and language service to help the child evolve” Amira El Gharib, Co-founder of Orcas explains.
The pioneering babysitting and tutoring startup has made it easy for every mom to find the best and coolest babysitter in town. “All they have to do to get started is download the Orcas app, available on Android and iOS and browse the services and partners they want” she says.
““there are many standards we follow when choosing the babysitter, we make sure that they come from a great educational background and most importantly their experience with children”
Picking the perfect babysitter is not a very easy task, “there are many standards we follow when choosing the babysitter, we make sure that they come from a great educational background and most importantly their experience with children. Then they undergo training to ensure if they are fit to become babysitters, and we evaluate them on their character” she explains.
This super team of wonder-women faced many challenges to get to where they are today. “At first people didn’t quite understand the whole concept of babysitting, not everyone felt safe to go to a stranger’s house,” she says.
Orcas has definitely revolutionized the concept of babysitting in Egypt by introducing the language and tutoring services that contribute greatly to enhancing the child’s skills. “We realized that not only babysitters were highly in demand in the Egyptian household, but also parents were in need for young tutors that understand their children’s school system” she explains.
“At first people didn’t quite understand the whole concept of babysitting, not everyone felt safe to go to a stranger’s house,”
There is no doubt that the start-up scene in Egypt is growing immensely, but having the right tools to start a new business is key. Amira had some simple tips for anyone starting a new business, “First you need to validate your idea according to the market needs, once you have got the right idea you need to start looking for incubators to support your business, and finally work hard because it always pays off” she says.
Orcas is now expanding their babysitting, language tutoring, and storytelling services to include Alexandria and Gouna.
Check out @Orcasapp on Instagram.