Um Youssef-Gift boxes from Saudi Arabia
Um Youssef lives in Hindawiya, one of the poorest areas of Jeddah Saudi Arabia. She is married but her husband is of very limited financial means. Operating from her home, she began in 1998, with the help of her neighbors, a small gift wrapping and decorated gift box crafting business to supplement the family income.

She was one of the first clients of the Abdul Latif Jameel "Productive Families program". With the SR 1000 loan she received from the program, she improved the quality of her products and expanded her distribution to the surrounding neighborhoods. Now her monthly income has increased to SR 400 per month, while before that it never exceeded SR 200.

This year Um Youssef was able to buy new clothes to her children for the EID holiday, she could rarely afford to do that in the past.

Her ambition is to expand her handicraft business and own a shop.

Established in June 2004 the program disbursed in the first six months of operations SR 553,000 to 529 women entrepreneurs.