Tens of thousands of women in Egypt are sentenced to prison every year.
Their crime? Not being able to pay debts, sometimes amounting to only a few dollars.
These women are simply known as
“Al Gharemaat” or “The Fined”.
We want to break these women’s chains, with a collection of NFTs created by artists from around the world.
Inspired by their heartbreaking stories, each NFT carries a powerful meaning and the way to set a woman free and reunite her with her family.
The NFTs in the “Breakchains with Blockchain” collection are priced at the amount of money needed to pay off each woman’s debt.
Together we can break their chains and give them a second chance.
“Breakchains with Blockchain” is an NFT collection available through Opensea.io, purchasable using the Polygon Network. This is instead of the Ethereum Network, which charges extra fees, this is because we want to ensure no money is wasted and as much as possible goes to free the women.
Mouse over to see Rabia's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Inspired by the story of Rabia, who took a loan to pay for her niece’s wedding, quickly followed by a loan for life-saving breast cancer surgery. Despite surviving the surgery, these loans dragged her down, and she was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison.
Mouse over to see Hana 's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Hana is a strong and caring woman. Because of this she took out a loan to help her elderly neighbour. However, this kindness turned into a curse, as her neighbour refused to pay the instalments. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison for a debt
Mouse over to see Eman's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Eman is a dedicated mother, who only wanted the best for her family. She borrowed money to open a cosmetics business. But beauty, quickly turned into an ugly burden as the pandemic consumed her success. She became unable to pay the installments and was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Mouse over to see Nagia's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Nagia’s family was broken. Her son could not work, and her husband fell ill and died. She was the last link, alone she had to earn the money to support her children. Her debts continued to spiral until she was reported to the police and sent to prison for 4 years.
Mouse over to see Fatima's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Fatima struggled to support her family. As her husband grew unwell, she stayed strong. Then with the death of her son and her daughter running away to avoid prison, her world crumbled around her. Sentenced to prison she has lost everything she loved.
Mouse over to see Iman's picture
Iman was sent to prison for 3 years for trying to protect her family. A mother of 4, she worked hard to make a life for her family, and aspired to start a business. But when she sold the electronics she bought at a loss, her debts mounted and mounted. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Mouse over to see Qamar's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Qamar was moving up in the world. She had bought a fridge on installments to take care of her family. However, her world crashed down when a fire destroyed her apartment and the fridge. Despite kindness from friends and neighbors she could not pay her loan and was sentenced to 1 year in prison.
Mouse over to see Mona's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Mona is a 56-year-old woman who suffers from different diseases. She works as a maid. She has 4 kids, her husband is sick and there is no stable income. She took a loan to plan her daughter’s wedding and couldn’t pay back her debts. She is now sentenced to 3 years in prison and the total amount required is $443.
Mouse over to see Sarah's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Sarah always wanted the best for her family, but every time she tried to help she found herself in more and more debt. As her husband feel sick, she could no longer afford the payments and was finally sentenced to prison.
Mouse over to see Leila's picture
Mother of three children. Her husband suddenly lost his job and the family lost their only source of income. Fearing the unknown fate of her family, she borrowed $300 to buy homemade products to resell and profit from, but she was unable to pay the debt and was sentenced to one year in prison.
Mouse over to see Mariam's picture
A mother of 4 kids. Mariam decided to buy a washing machine in installments and she couldn’t pay back her debt. Her husband had an accident and needed an operation and she had to borrow more money for that and debts started to accumulate more and more. She had a fight with her husband, he kicked her out of home with her kids and refused to help in paying back the debts. Mariam was sentenced to 3 years in jail.
Mouse over to see Na'ma's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Ne'ma lived for her family, to ensure they will have a happy life so she took out a loan to start a new business. But when her son got into trouble, she took another loan to pay for his lawyer. She had to protect him at all costs. Her debt spiraled, and she was arrested and sentenced to prison.
Mouse over to see Wafaa's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Wafaa had run out of choices, she desperately needed open heart surgery and didn’t have the money or the time to wait. She took a loan and thankfully the surgery was successful. Unable to work as she was in recovery, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison for non-payment.
Mouse over to see Walaa's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Walaa’s marriage locked her into a spiral of debt. She tried to ease the burden on her family, by taking out a loan to buy all the new electronics, but as her family grew, she was unable to pay the installments. She was arrested and sentenced to prison.
Mouse over to see Rasha's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Rasha wanted the best for her children, so she took out a loan to start a business selling vegetables. But when her husband fell ill, the money for the loans went to pay for his treatment. Sentenced to prison, her only worry is what will happen to her children when she is gone.
Mouse over to see Eman M.'s picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Inspired by the story of Eman M., with the best intentions she took out a loan to buy electrical appliances. Unfortunately, she was badly burned in accident, suffering burns to 85% of her body. Her health deteriorated and she was unable to pay the installments. She lives under threat of imprisonment.
Mouse over to see Hala's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Inspired by Hala, a woman with the world on her shoulders. Alone she supports her children and parents. When her father fell ill, she took a loan for his medicine. But a back injury meant she could not work to pay the installments. She was sentenced to 1 year in prison.
Mouse over to see Rasha A.'s picture
Rasha A. has been consumed by the pain of others. Debts piling up around her, as she paid for her father’s surgery after a heart attack and her brother’s surgery for a broken arm. By saving others, she is now trapped in her own world of pain.
Mouse over to see Noura's picture
**NFT sold and debt is in the process of being cleared. Update coming soon.** Everyday Noura climbed and climbed to make a better future for her family. Once she reached the top, her world came crashing down around her. As her husband left the family, she became their only support. Unable to pay the loan installments, she was sentenced to prison.
On 21st March we launched our website and blog.
We launched our NFT collection with 10 unique pieces, and we are continuing to create more.
The global news took notice, and for the first time 60 members of parliament signed a bill pledging to change the law
We will continue adding pieces to our collection to free as many women as possible, and raising awareness about Al Gharemaat, until they are a thing of the past.
The “Care of Children of Female Prisoners Association” was established in 1990. The association aims to promote the rights of women in Egypt, especially the Al Gharemaat, who are imprisoned simply because they couldn´t pay back their debts.
They also aim to empower these women economically so they can support their families once they are freed from prison. The goal of this project is to use funds collected to clear any debts the women have accumulated. Any extra money collected on top of the necessary amount will go towards their education and rehabilitation.
ADDRESS
98 Maosadak St. – Dokki. Giza, Egypt
PHONE
+202 3336 8944
EMAIL
info@sagenat.com