The women of the villages

Village women endure great challenges in their everyday journey, a journey that is full of struggle but one that is also hopeful. They face hunger as they search for a better life. Society cannot imagine a place for a woman except in her home, with her family and under her husband’s control. Because of this, the beautiful women of the village face a stark choice: they can either starve or break the rules. Each of them has a different story, but all begin in the same place: when hunger pushed them to tears. When a woman steps out of her home, she faces a day filled with trials and tribulations. Every morning she says goodbye to a community that despises her. The load she carries on her head almost breaks her. She must race for a train that won’t wait. If she catches it, the train will cradle her, rocking for the five long hours to her destination. When she arrives, she faces the uncertainty of whether or not people will buy her goods. Her hope is to return home that evening with a lighter, less painful load. Hundreds of the beautiful village women carry their loads into major cities every day, from cities like Monufiya, a distance of 151 km, and Tanta, 132 km away. Each woman will haul more than 100 kilos of goods such as cheese, milk and butter. Even as the women suffer, their labors are providing the means to educate their children and give them a better life. This is the hope hidden inside the folds of suffering.