Maintaining A Connection With Egypt Through Efficient Blessings

First-generation citizens might be born in a country and be happy and proud of their homeland, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost sight of their family roots, and in most cases, they still have family overseas. 

Sumra, who was born in Australia and lived here her whole life, has a deep attachment to Egypt – the home of her parents. She travels there annually, ensures that her daughter maintains the cultural connection through language and books, and supports family and friends in Egypt financially. Here Sumra shares her story and how she practically manages this and the challenges that come with sending blessings to family in Egypt.

Can you start by describing your connection to Egypt?

Despite having grown up here as an Australian, I have strong connections to Egypt due to family and friends. My husband is from there too, and we have an extended family that we send money to there. 

So, you send money to Egypt for your family. Have you got any other financial connections with Egypt?

For one example, we regularly buy and ship items here from Egypt - especially educational resources like children's books in Egyptian Arabic for my daughter. There are lots of new little publishing startups over there that I like to purchase from, but most of them aren't set up for easy international shopping. So I usually will just buy something and get it sent to my mother-in-law or friend, or have them buy it there. And then have it waiting for me when I get there, or if I have someone travelling over, I'll get them to bring it back for me.

Have you had any obstacles paying for things in Egypt?

I regularly send money if I’m unable to travel, for gifts or to assist family & friends when they have  health concerns.  Having bank accounts in Egypt has been both helpful and stressful for me. The accounts are linked to my Egyptian number, causing difficulties in recharging from abroad. Issues like running out of credit, inability to receive OTP codes, and the deletion of login information are common. Dealing with bureaucratic processes, such as branch visits and obtaining power of attorney for banking matters, can be challenging. Having alternative options from abroad is essential due to the complexities faced on the ground in Egypt.

It looks like you needed a better way to send and receive money from Egypt, then?

Yes I did. For example, if I’m asking a family member in Egypt for a favour – such as to buy something for me - I don't want to put them out in any way. I don’t want them to have to wait for a payment to clear, or for them to have to physically go somewhere to pick up the money. I'd like to be able to pay for the item directly with the money I sent them. Bless allows me to do that, by efficiently adding the money directly to the receiver’s bank account. 

Also, recently with what's happening in Palestine, I have wanted to support Palestinian refugees over there, but they aren’t allowed to open bank accounts, so being able to send the money to a friend or a family member to have them pass on the funds has been helpful. 

It sounds like there’s a lot to consider when sending money to Egypt

Yes, and you also need to consider the currency issues in Egypt at the moment as well. For instance, if I've left money there, as I often do when I’m over there, but then the currency drops, it doesn’t have the same purchasing power, and the currency is so volatile that I can’t leave a year’s worth reliably. So I need to find ways of sending money more regularly.

There have been times I’ve needed to send money from myself in Australia to myself in Egypt. When I used another money transfer business with a large sum of money, it got held up for over two weeks. I had to go back and forth with proof and documentation. I understand that their process meant they needed to do their due diligence, but that’s not much help when you need the money quickly.

And that’s what ultimately led you to Bless?

I wanted to try it out. Not that I had a specific transaction in mind at that particular time, but I did send money into my account in Egypt just to test it out. And it took 24 minutes, which was pretty cool. But it's nice and easy, straightforward, and user-friendly. It also had a competitive rate as well, which is important. 

One of the things I immediately realised this could be good for is paying the Arabic tutor that I have for my daughter. They’re based in Egypt, so that’s a monthly transaction that I need to be able to make regularly. 

That’s great, you’re maintaining that cultural connection. What would you say is the core challenge of living in a country like Australia?

I think it boils down to being a minority in a different culture, where being different isn't always celebrated. We need to make a conscious effort to prioritise our heritage, especially in a multicultural society like Australia. It's about fostering a sense of belonging for our daughter and ensuring she's proud of her origins. Without that considered effort to maintain our culture – the books and tutoring from Egypt, for example – it would be very easy for us as a family to lose touch with that heritage.

Meanwhile, all the systems in Australia are set up around an assumption of “assimilation,” which means that doing things that are against the grain – like trying to access services from Egypt - tend to become challenging, simply because the environment isn’t structured to support that.

Is there anything else you'd like to add regarding your experience with Bless or any insights you'd like to share?

I appreciate that Bless is a local Australian company. The legitimacy of the app and website knowing that it has been set up here gives me confidence in using it.

Overall, it's a convenient and efficient option for money transfers, and I'm glad to support a local business and my family at home.