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How Egyptian women are working to counter rising prices

Egypt’s consumers are fighting massive price increases by exchanging used goods on social media.
Egyptians shop inside City Star, Egypt's largest mall, in Cairo March 11, 2008. Egypt's urban consumer inflation jumped to an 11-month high in February as prices for food and beverages surged, raising pressure on the country's central bank to hike interest rates for a second time this year. REUTERS/Nasser Nuri  (EGYPT) - RTR1Y5XR
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Nilli Zaher, an Egyptian woman in her 30s who works as an accountant for one of the country’s largest firms, did not wish to stand idly by amid what she describes as a massive price increase for basic goods, especially clothing. Although her job provides her with an income that meets her and her family’s needs, with the support of her friends, Zaher launched a Facebook group where members can put up a basket of used clothes that they no longer need for barter or sale. The group goes by the name "Women Against Rising Prices.”

Zaher believes that many Egyptians are unable to purchase their basic necessities, particularly clothing. Speaking to Al-Monitor, she said that prices for many goods “have doubled more than once over the last two years,” and, according to her, those prices have no controls worth mentioning and there is no official body in Egypt that can get them under control.

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