“ You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.

— Rabindranath Tagore

In 2021, during a visit to a rural pharmacy in Egypt, I witnessed a moment that shook me to my core and changed everything.

A mother stood at the counter, clutching a prescription and crumpled bills. She pleaded with the pharmacist, her voice breaking as she explained that her daughter needed the medicine. But the answer was no. She didn’t have enough money, and the pharmacist, though sympathetic, couldn’t help her.

I watched as the mother turned away, her daughter coughing softly beside her. The helplessness in her eyes and the quiet desperation in her voice stayed with me long after she disappeared into the street.

That moment haunted me. It wasn’t just about one mother or one child—it was about countless families across Egypt facing the same impossible choices every day. I couldn’t ignore what I had seen. I couldn’t stand by while people continued to fall through the cracks of a healthcare system that wasn’t built for them.

That moment became a turning point in my life. I knew I had to act. It was from this deep sense of responsibility and purpose that Accord Egypt was born—a commitment to ensuring that no mother would have to walk away empty-handed