Manal The Half Ton Truck driver

CAIRO - 8 October 2017: Manal Ahmed Salah is an inspiring model for Egyptian women; she is an example of a strong woman who does not believe in the word “impossible.”

Known as Chauffeur Manal, her day starts at 4 a.m.; that is when she starts transferring workers from one place to the other, driving a half-ton truck.

Salah is an orphan; her father died when her age did not exceed 6 months, and she did not attend school. When she was a teenager, she started working in harvesting wheat, collecting cotton and "clover" until she was 20 years old.

She has two brothers and one sister; her two brothers work abroad. Salah refused to get married and preferred to work and provide for herself.

The story of Salah driving a half-ton truck started when her brother bought one, and instead of hiring a driver, she began driving it herself; discovering her passion for taking the wheel for the first time.

Salah does not have a driving license, and she comes from a conservative background, which makes it hard for her to pursue her dream. Whenever she is encountered by police offers at checkpoints, they sympathize with her story enough to let her pass through. She has never stopped trying to reach her goal.

Her ultimate dream is to meet President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi, and to be able to obtain a driving license.