Today we sit down with Hana El Sadat, the CEO and Founder of Neya, to find out more about what she does exactly and why she’s causing such a buzz. We keep hearing the name ‘Neya’ mentioned here and there and decided to contact her and look into it ourselves!
So Hana, what is Neya exactly?
In Arabic and translated to English, Neya means an intrinsic value to do well. Neya is ultimately a platform that generates a more socially aware community growing from an individual’s fundamental need to do ‘good deeds’. As a vision driven platform, Neya builds on the drive of a generation who want to make a difference. It aims to increase the potential of civil society by creating sustainable activities and awareness.
At the core of Neya is goodness, a positive tool for community building. Neya’s purpose is to bring together a community of individuals whose aim is to give back and create a sustainable ecosystem. Neya helps its community channel its intention to do good. It is a platform made to facilitate volunteering, donating, sponsoring, supporting, and creating awareness for a cause or initiative. At the heart of Neya is a community, be it individuals, small groups, corporate organizations, non-governmental or social service agencies to enhance their activities and impact. Any members, organizations, entities, and corporations are pre-approved by Neya in accordance with respective government authorities to ensure the legitimization of the platform members. Neya enables participants to jump-start their initiatives by first creating awareness towards a cause and second by supporting their activities with a call to action for donation or volunteering.
The landscape of charitable giving has been transformed by the digital era and an application like Neya allows for a new tech savvy generation to give back in an effective way. By modernizing philanthropic activities Neya engages millennials and Gen x users to communicate and collaborate for worthy causes. Thus, Neya empowers those who want to make a difference by simplifying the process and brings key agents of change together for collective sustainable development.
Via Neya
How did you come up with the idea?
The concept came to me a couple of years back when I was homesick living in Boston during university. I wanted to volunteer somewhere, since charity work makes me feel grounded and at home. I’ve been involved in charity work my entire life and it is a very important part of who I am. I spent hours looking for somewhere to go and volunteer my time and after wasting much energy searching online I got frustrated as to why I couldn’t find a tool to direct me. Right then and there, I started brainstorming and slowly but surely it went from being one tool to several and then an entire platform. I have also found that a lot of people around me have a hard time knowing where and how they can give back. They want information on donating and they want to have a variety.
Tell us a little more about your journey as an entrepreneur. Were there any setbacks or did everything go as planned right away?
I met with people before graduating and then decided I was not ready to go through with it, just yet. I graduated university and continued my charity work as a side activity. I started the street store initiative with a friend of mine where I dressed and collected clothes for homeless people. I am also involved with helping out for medical cases and feeding the hungry.
I professionally worked in logistics, then joined the public sector at the Ministry of International Cooperation under Minister Sahar Nasr. I continued my journey and went on to the United Nations Development Program. There, I worked in the Innovation Lab on projects that aided local developmental solutions, giving me different angles and experiences in the field. I also worked on a project for social workers in Egypt. I eventually quit my job and decided it was time to build my own dream, from the ground up.
I’m currently doing my Masters in Sustainable Development and Development Management at SOAS University and have joined the Rotary Club in Egypt. Today, I am finally working on officially launching Neya. Always remember to be humble, be hungry and always be the hardest worker in the room.
Instagram: @neyaplatform
Website: www.elneya.org
