Annabelle: giving dignity to domestic work in Egypt

I first met Annabelle (or Ana for short) when I came to Egypt in 2009. She hails from Antique in Central Visayan islands of the Philippines. She was referred to me then by a Japanese colleague with whom she has worked for about a year. Ana became my househelp for 3 years in Cairo and to this day, I would consider her the best caretaker during  my entire stay in Egypt. What a blessing to be taken care of by someone who understands you, speaks your language, and cooks your familiar dishes. I was pampered. When I was due to leave the country  in 2011 to assume a reassignment  to HQ, Ana and I felt the sadness of separation. I considered her a family member, and she treated me like her own family! Imagine two Filipinos - of different backgrounds, status and experience, feeling sad about leaving a land that is foreign to both of us. If it had been easy, I would have taken Ana with me! But Ana has lived in Egypt for almost 20 years now, is married to a Coptic Christian Egyptian, has a son who attends school in Cairo, is fluent in Arabic, and now it seems,  has become as much Egyptian as she is Filipina.

As my thank you  and farewell to her before I left in 2011, I gifted her with a plane ticket to the Philippines,. When she went home, she also had a chance to meet my sisters in Manila (I was based in NY, so not in the Phils). Even my sisters loved her, and thanked her for having taken care of me while in Egypt. By the way, that's how my family is, they also love all those who love me! But that's also because Ana herself is a wonderful human being, humble, hardworking, honest, reliable, and determined to make the most of her life.

As a domestic helper in Cairo, Ana fills up almost 6-7 days a week by working several hours for 3 to 4 expatriate families. When she was with me then, she came 2-3 days a week, about 4-6 hours a day doing everything for me: cleaning the house, washing/ironing clothes, blankets,towels, etc., cooking, doing groceries, and other errands, even helping me host small parties for colleagues. Ana has a sister Vena, also working with expatriates in Cairo, who also assists Ana as needed.

I asked Ana once why she continues to do domestic work. I even suggested why not apply for job openings in hotels that were booming in Cairo at that time.. But she herself said, most hotels or similar establishments offer no more than about $100-$150 salary per month. Doing domestic work as Ana said was hard work, but pays much more, given that the average rate is about $5-$7/hour. Expatriates apparently can get cheaper help with locals or other nationalities, which tend to charge lower hourly rates, but Filipinas are preferred for the quality of work they bring, with diligence, orderliness, and dedication -- traits that are inherent in the Filipino character.


The other weekend, Ana accompanied me to the biggest oriental market in Cairo, Khan el- Khalili. The taxi driver was not good and not only overcharged us but wanted to cheat us. In her Arabic way, I saw Ana argue it out with the taxi driver about his dishonesty, and demanded that we got back the proper change, after deducting what was already a very reasonable tip. I am sure, if it was just me, I would have just let it go. But I saw Ana's determination to defend the principle of not cheating, which also showed how much she valued money. What was due us in change may have been nothing to me (about 20 Egyptian LE, equivalent to about $3) , but by Ana's standard, it was a lot. She knows what 20 LE can buy in Egypt! It made me admire Ana even more. After wards, Ana told me, "sori po mam , di po ako talaga galit, pero kailangan ganyan, huwag palusutin , kung hindi mawiwili silang  manloko".. (...sorry ma'am, I wasnt really mad, but I needed to deal with him that way, so he doesnt do it again to others..).

 Ana also met my family when they came to visit me in Egypt in 2010. To this day, my grandson Jakob, now 10, remembers Stephen, Ana's son who was then only about 4. During  this return trip to Cairo, Jakob sent Stephen two diecast cars from his own collection of toy cars (this means a lot for Jakob to let go of his toys, but he wanted to send Stephen something)! In return, while we were at the oriental market, Ana bought  a statue of the King Tut guard (with the sword) as Stephen's gift to Jakob.I asked her not to spend for this, but she insisted. I hope one day, they will have another chance to meet again.

When I arrived here in Cairo last June for my short term assignment, one of the first people I tried to get hold of was Ana.. Although I have been staying in a hotel, I made a deal with Ana to come every Friday even for 2-3 hours to bring me a Filipino dish, which gives me a break from eating hotel food everyday. For this nice gesture, I pay her some money for the cost of cooking the food, plus her time to come see me every week. Good food for me, extra income for her. We are both happy.


I have other colleagues who know about Ana, and wants her services  too. But Ana is simply preoccupied with her loyal "employers".  And I only recommend her to others who I know will treat her the way I want to treat her.

Ana is one of hundreds of domestic helpers in Egypt, who work for all kinds of expatriates. She first came to Egypt when she was only 22. Now Ana is 42. Her case and many other domestic helpers in various parts of the world, is a sad reality for the Philippines, but almost an inevitable consequence of not finding better paying jobs back home, especially in the rural areas. I can only wish that this reality will not remain forever, as the Philippines continue to improve its economy. As it is, at least with Ana's work here in Egypt, she manages to remit decent money for her parents in their hometown.

As domestic help, Ana has experienced all the hardships that come with this migrant status. However, perhaps due to her character and determination, her situation has not been as bad, as the ones we often read about in the mass media. Remember the movie "Milan", about domestic helpers in Italy? Its not any different in this part of the world. One day, I hope I can convince  any of my friends in the film industry to do another film... about Ana - and the life of DH's in the MidEast.

Ana says many of our compatriots here are amused when they hear from Ana that she is working for an expatriate from the Philippines, me!.. Quite unusual for them to hear, as they mostly work for other foreign nationalities.

This is Ana in my hotel room during one of her Friday visits. Fridays, Ana attends a born again church in Maadi city, where apparently many other Filipinos go. She comes to my hotel, after the church service to deliver the food.

Who would have thought I would discover Ana in Egypt?

From one Filipina to another Filipina, I salute Ana. She brings dignity to domestic work in Egypt.
Kudos Ana!