After receiving an invitation for a motorcycle ride from Harley Davidson, the world’s leading manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles; we were so thrilled and couldn’t wait for the weekend to arrive and try out this exciting experience. On an early Saturday morning, we woke up at 8:00 am, ripped the tickets off our new Harley Outfits and went to Harley Showroom in Zamalek to receive our helmets and bikes.
We took a ride from Zamalek to Starbucks Desert Road, where we met a big group of loyal Harley riders. We were briefed about the basics of riding with a group and what physical signs should we use if a rider wants to transmit a massage to the going. We then headed through 6th of October City, Mehwar and back to Zamalek.
On the same day of the ride and under the name of “Make Every Day Count”, we went to the Harley-Davidson show room. They introduced the new H-D Model of the Year Bikes for 2012 in an Open House Barbecue event. Furthermore, under the umbrella of “Make Every Day Count”, Harley-Davidson’s MENA office teamed up with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in their first-ever region-wide charity endeavour to donate all the proceeds from selected merchandise sales at the event to the impoverished women around the world. “Harley-Davidson is a global icon that embodies brotherhood and camaraderie” said Indji Ghattas Dealer Principle of the Harley-Davidson Dealership in Egypt.
Ashraf Hamouda, Head of Partnership & Business Development of WFP for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region, insisted on the strategic need to empower women in order to reach out to their children and surrounding communities, “Women in impoverished countries have less access to education and income and less decision-making power than men. Mothers that suffer from these extenuating circumstances represent a direct danger to the lives of their children, especially if they are pregnant. On the other hand, by breastfeeding their youngest children and often being the ones handling farming, women play a key role in the fight against hunger.”
WFP’s partnership with Harley-Davidson is a great opportunity to raise awareness and empower women across the Middle East and North Africa, in the spirit of sharing and adventure.