CAIRO — Before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Abu Abada,* 40, used to manage a clothing store in Damascus. But since escaping to Egypt five years ago, he has struggled to support his wife and three children.
Now employed as a shift manager at the popular and bustling Syrian restaurant “Rosto” in 6th of October City, a satellite suburb to the west of Cairo, Abu Abada works up to 14 hours a day and often still doesn't scrape together enough to pay rent and the rest of his expenses, which he points out have almost doubled since Egypt devalued its currency in November 2016.