Mahmoud Waheed, a young Egyptian engineer, never imagined that Cairo’s lively nights would lead him to a life-changing experience. As he was walking in one of the city’s neighbourhoods, he heard a moan coming from one of the side streets. To his surprise, he found a wounded elderly man, in pain and covered in blood.

Mahmoud did not leave him to suffer alone. He bandaged his wounds and tried to take him to the hospital, but the man was not admitted since he did not have any family or carry identification documents. Mahmoud then took the man to an elderly care centre, but doors were also shut.

That night, Mahmoud was inspired to create ‘Together to Save a Human’, which provides elderly homeless people with food, shelter and medical care. In 2018, he was nominated for the second round of the Arab Hope Makers initiative, which falls under MBRGI. Mahmoud was in awe when he was named the Arab Hope Maker that year. The prize has given him moral and financial support that enabled him to fulfil his ambition of being an active member of the humanitarian field in Cairo. He was able to expand his project to accommodate and rehabilitate more homeless people before reuniting them with their families.

Mahmoud says his win has earned him the respect and trust of Egyptians and Arabs, and paved the way for him to open five additional branches of ‘Together to Save a Human’ across Cairo, bringing the total number of branches to seven.

Thanks to the initiative’s recognition, Mahmoud’s project saw a fundamental shift in its activities. ‘Together to Save a Human’ now cooperates with Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity on multiple projects and has transformed into a public welfare institution that accepts donations. After being specialised in caring for elderly homeless people, it has expanded to serve homeless children as well.