Sprout E-course Alumnus Story: Omar Rabie

Omar Rabie, a recent law school graduate living in Cairo, had an idea; like most great ideas, it evolved as he shared it with other social innovators. This growth process was essential to the success of the project, which has received wide support. Now, it is preparing to launch in September.

Called Kefaya Za7ma (“Not Crowded”), it is a series of videos promoting mass transit in one of the world’s most congested cities, Cairo. While Cairo is designed to accommodate 500,000 cars, there are more than 4 million cars on its streets, and this number is increasing by 10% annually. In Cairo, 30% of all pollution is from car emissions, and it is a health and social issue that impacts every city dweller.

The idea was developed when Rabie attended a Microsoft YouthSpark event in Cairo and participated in TakingITGlobal’s Sprout e-course. Through networking, learning and sharing ideas, his project changed from the original idea, called ‘AutoPeace’ (a bus which provided services to its riders such as free WiFi, coffee, a library and solar cell mobile phone chargers) to a re-branded ‘Pro-Bus’, and then the video campaign.

For the video campaign, Rabie is partnering with an environmental group, Green Arm, which has matched his funds.

It was after participating in the Sprout E-Course that Rabie realized the funding challenge for the original ‘Auto Peace’ was too great at the present time, and reformulated his idea for the partnered campaign with Green Arm.

The Sprout e-course was instrumental in Rabie learning “to tackle things that I hadn’t thought about before, like how to analyze stakeholders, how to make a marketing pitch, how to do lots of things concerning your project, how to make a budget and financial plan.”

“It also allowed me to reformulate the project idea; to tackle the main needs, to be more focused, to specify my target segment.” In one Kefaya Za7ma videos, viewers are asked to imagine what would happen if one parking space were removed. What other public space uses could it be used for? Could city dwellers manage with one less parking space, or more? Greenspace and playgrounds are featured, and the video also highlights international research about the health and community benefits of pedestrianization.

The five videos are themed around: space and social justice, air pollution, the economy, health, and public transportation and carpooling. They will be released over a staggered time frame to keep public interest in the campaign and convey information on all aspects of the issue of mass transit in the city. Rabie is continuing to work on Pro-Bus as well, and hopes to meet funding goals and launch a version of the project in the future.

Watch the first Kefaya Za7ma video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjPvEn_Nqhc&feature=youtu.be