Laundry and Ironing Services

Libya Humanist group 

Tazirbu, Libya

Members: Maryam Al-Misrati, Fatima El-Kuni, Aisha Ben-Ghalbon, Khadija Al-Warfali, Nour El-Sherif, Salma Al-Tarhouni, Ahmed Al-Zway, Youssef Ben-Ali, Omar El-Malti

Email: maryammarratu@gmail.com

Phone:  +218 91 522 0266

What does humanism mean to you?

To our group, humanism means that every person deserves to live freely, think with their own mind, and be treated with dignity without needing to follow a strict religion and any God. Because our parents were taken from us for holding these beliefs, humanism is not just an idea to us it is the very heart of who we are. It teaches us that our future is in our own hands, and that we must rely on our reason, our deep love for one another, and our own hard work to survive in a society that forces us to hide.
It also means that doing good does not come from fear, but from truly caring about other people. We do not wait for miracles to save us; we save ourselves through human action, teamwork, and the kindness of people like the HuMAN organization. By working together in our laundry project and helping our neighbors, we are living our humanist values every day. We want to prove that you can be honest, kind, and build a good life simply because you care about humanity.

Project Description

Our project is a home-based laundry and ironing business. We are nine family members living together in Libya, and we are all orphans now. Because our parents were killed for their humanist beliefs, our society is very dangerous for us. We cannot easily go out to find normal jobs without facing threats or having to hide who we are. That is why we want to start a laundry service right inside our house. We can take in dirty clothes from neighbors through one trusted person, and do all the washing and heavy ironing safely behind closed doors. This way, we can make our own money to buy food and survive without putting our lives at risk.

If HuMAN can help us with the $300 grant, we know exactly what to do. We will use the money to buy one washing machine,  two strong, heavy-duty irons, good ironing boards, large boxes of washing powder, stain removers, and plastic covers so the clothes look professional when we return them. Since we already have water and electricity at home, we do not need to pay rent for a shop. With nine of us working together, we will divide the jobs. Some of us will do the heavy washing, some will do the careful ironing, and others will fold and pack. Because we are a big family, we can work in shifts and clean a lot of clothes very fast.

This business is how we will save our family. People in our city always need clean, pressed clothes, so we know we will always have customers and a way to make a profit. We do not want to rely on charity forever; we want to earn our bread with our own hands. By starting this laundry business, we can live independently, keep each other safe, and honor our parents by staying true to our values. All we need is this small push to help us start.

Budget

 Here is the itemized materials budget for the $300 grant:

Fairly used semi-automatic washing machine: $90

Two heavy-duty professional steam irons: $60

Two durable, wide ironing boards: $50

Bulk commercial laundry detergent (large sacks): $40

Specialty stain removers and fabric softeners: $20

Packaging materials (wire hangers and clear plastic garment bags): $40

Total: $300

Expected Income from Project, with Timeline

Weeks 1 and 2: We will buy the washing machine and materials to set up our home work room.
Week 3: We will start taking clothes from our trusted neighbors and working our family shifts.
Expected Income: We hope to earn about $15 to $20 every day from our washing and ironing.
Timeline Goal: By the end of one month, this steady profit will pay for our food and keep us safe.

Benefits to your Community

 Even though we must work quietly inside our home for our safety, our laundry project will be a big help to our local community. Many people in our neighborhood work long hours to survive, and they do not have the time or good machines to wash and press their own clothes. By giving them a fast, cheap, and very clean laundry service, we help them save time and look respectable for their jobs and schools without spending too much money. Because there are nine people working together in shifts, we can return their clothes much faster than regular shops. Most importantly, by offering this honest and helpful service, we can build quiet trust with our neighbors, showing them that we are hardworking people who want to be useful and add value to our society.