| When Breathing Becomes a Daily Struggle: A Story from Cairo |
There’s a day I will never forget.
My mother’s face suddenly began to swell, her voice disappeared, and she couldn’t breathe. Within minutes, her life was hanging by a thread. At the hospital, doctors were on the verge of cutting open her throat just to create an airway for one more breath.
This terrifying scene wasn’t caused by a rare disease or an accident. It was triggered by the polluted air we all breathe in Cairo every single day.
Cairo Under a Polluted Sky
Anyone living in Cairo knows the picture too well: a thick gray haze that hides the sky, sneaks into our homes and classrooms, and weighs heavy on our lungs.
Statistics confirm that Cairo is among the most polluted cities in the world, but we don’t need numbers to believe it. We live it—through constant coughing, relentless headaches, teary eyes, and the asthma attacks that send thousands rushing to emergency rooms every day.
The Bigger Problem: breathing the unknown
What’s even more alarming is that we don’t truly know what we’re breathing.
Without consistent and transparent air quality monitoring, pollution remains an invisible enemy—striking suddenly, without warning—just as it did with my mother, and countless others.
From Personal Story to Collective Struggle
My story with my mother is not unique. Thousands of families in Cairo endure the same ordeal every single day: children suffering recurring asthma attacks, the elderly shuttling between hospitals, and parents wondering, Has breathing become a privilege?
The Right to Clean Air
It should never be normal to open a window and put our health at risk.
It is unacceptable that millions of people live in a city where every breath feels like a gamble.
We all have the right to know the truth about the air we breathe. We all have the right to demand permanent monitoring and transparent data.
Your Voice Matters
Cairo deserves a clear sky and clean air—and you can be part of the solution.
Sign the petition for clean air today, and lend your voice to a healthier, safer future—for us and for our children.
More than 90% of the world’s population suffers from toxic outdoor air. Air pollution is estimated to cause more than 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year.
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