For over a decade, Yasmine El Hagry has led Sanad in reshaping orphan care and empowering children nationwide.
A benefit concert by Egyptian musician Omar Khairat held by AUC’s Volunteers in Action (VIA) student organization inspired Yasmine El Hagry ’04 to work with orphans after graduation.
“I learned a lot as a member of VIA, not only about orphans and serving others, but also about how we face our failures and challenges and how we work together despite the fact that we might be different,” said the journalism and mass communication alumna who is currently pursuing a master’s in public administration from AUC.
Today, El Hagry is the executive director of Sanad for Orphans, a nongovernmental organization that provides alternative care solutions from early childhood through young adulthood. She was named by the Regional Network for Social Responsibility among the 100 Sustainability Champions in the Middle East and North Africa in 2023 and 2024 and as one of the most influential Arab figures in corporate social responsibility and sustainability in 2022.
“You nurture their talent. You help them learn how to present their ideas, thoughts and challenges — to understand themselves.”
Yasmine El Hagry leads Sanad, transforming orphan care in Egypt and empowering youth nationwide.
Sanad for Orphans, previously known as the Wataneya Society for Orphans, was founded in 2008 to establish national quality standards for orphan care in Egypt. It trains care homes, NGOs and aftercare programs to support orphaned children in leading prepared, fulfilling lives. “In Egypt, alternative care for orphaned youth largely takes the form of institutional care homes,” explained El Hagry. “Yet many children must leave care at 18, a critical developmental stage.”
El Hagry did not immediately turn to nonprofit work after graduation. She instead entered the advertising industry but soon felt unfulfilled. After continuing to volunteer throughout her early career, El Hagry received a phone call from Azza Abdel Hamid, founder and chairperson of Sanad for Orphans. She offered her a position, even though the organization had been open for less than a year and was not yet officially an orphanage.
“She told me, ‘I have no resources at this stage, but I want good candidates like you, with passion. I don’t want employees. I want people with a cause,’” El Hagry said.
Six years after its found, Sanad for Orphans created Egypt's first nationwide quality standards for care homes.
After an interview, El Hagry took a chance and never looked back, joining in 2009 as Sanad’s third employee. Since then, the organization has grown to over 40 members operating across 21 governorates. Just six years after its founding, Sanad achieved its goal, creating Egypt’s first nationwide quality standards for care homes, which were accredited by the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The organization expanded its work to support youth nearing the age of care exit; a commitment that has kept El Hagry there for 16 years.
"Some of our staff at Sanad are caregivers who graduated from orphanages or in care homes. We have many volunteers who are actually orphaned youth. We help them start their own NGOs or companies."
“I’m always in this gratitude mode and learning something new. I feel grateful for what’s happening around me,” El Hagry said. “You see change; you see miracles.”
El Hagry explained that orphanages in Egypt face challenges in perception, where the public often only support during seasonal holidays. But orphanages require year-round support, not just one-time gifts of blankets, food and clothes. Sanad is changing the narrative of supporting orphans by empowering the development of children and young adults through their transition into adulthood.
“You nurture their talent. You help them learn how to present their ideas, thoughts and challenges — to understand themselves,” El Hagry said.
“I’m always in this gratitude mode and learning something new. I feel grateful for what’s happening around me. You see change; you see miracles.”
Capacity building through relationships creates long-lasting change. Even now as an executive director, El Hagry sees the growth firsthand. Some of the children she used to work with as an AUC student at VIA are at Sanad or even working to support the organization’s mission.
“Some of our staff at Sanad are caregivers who graduated from orphanages or in care homes. We have many volunteers who are actually orphaned youth. We help them start their own NGOs or companies,” El Hagry said.
As Sanad enters its 17th year, El Hagry looks ahead to the next decades, reflecting on the founder’s reminder that the work is a lifelong journey and commitment. “I want to see more orphaned youth or children doing good to society, having a voice and leading the cause,” El Hagry reflected.
“The more we have change agents from these youth, the more we will be able to reach an inclusive society.”