Arabic Speaking Journalistic Storytelling Writer

Compose.ly

6d•$30 - $35

About The Position

The client is seeking a thoughtful, journalistic storyteller who is fluent in Arabic and an excellent English-language writer. The writer will capture the everyday stories, experiences, challenges, and moments of joy within its children's home and broader community in Egypt. This role involves interviewing members of the community and transforming those conversations into compelling English-language stories that document life at the home, preserve its history, and connect individual experiences to the organization's larger mission and vision. The content should inspire readers and help challenge traditional perceptions and stigmas surrounding orphanages, vulnerable children, and charitable giving, without approaching the stories from a direct fundraising perspective. The ideal candidate is comfortable speaking with children, caregivers, staff, organizational leaders, and other members of the community, possessing the emotional intelligence to handle both sensitive and lighthearted subject matter. A feminine storytelling voice is highly preferred. The role is approximately 5 hours/week (22 hours/month) to start, with the opportunity to increase commitment as the program grows. Initial content is expected to support a recurring Substack-style publication.

Requirements

Fluency in spoken Arabic with the ability to conduct natural, nuanced interviews.
Strong preference for Egyptian Arabic; fluency in a closely related regional dialect may also be considered.
Excellent written English.
Demonstrated experience in journalism, narrative nonfiction, interviewing, profile writing, or human-interest storytelling.
Strong interviewing skills and the ability to draw meaningful stories and anecdotes from conversations.
Ability to balance serious subject matter with the warmth, humor, and everyday joy of the community.
Strong cultural sensitivity and emotional intelligence.
Ability to preserve an interviewee's authentic voice while shaping conversations into engaging narratives.
Comfortable writing about children, caregivers, family circumstances, charitable organizations, and sensitive social issues.
Ability to connect individual stories to a larger organizational mission without making the content feel promotional or fundraising-driven.

Nice To Haves

A feminine storytelling voice is highly preferred.
Ability to occasionally visit the home in Egypt is a plus, but not required.

Responsibilities

Conduct recurring interviews with organizational leaders, caregivers, staff, and, where appropriate, children.
Conduct interviews in Arabic and produce polished stories in English.
Identify compelling anecdotes and narratives from the day-to-day life of the home.
Capture a broad range of stories, including humorous, heartwarming, challenging, inspirational, and historically significant moments.
Develop journalistic, anecdotal stories that feel authentic to the voices and personalities of the people involved.
Connect stories naturally to the client's mission and vision when appropriate without forcing a connection.
Document the organization's evolving history, including everyday operational challenges, programs, community life, and future expansion.
Capture stories from across the home's 13 apartments and its wider community of children, caregivers, staff, and programs.
Potentially experiment with stories told from different perspectives, including organizational leaders, children, employees, caregivers, and even the animals at the home.
Help develop a consistent week-by-week storytelling cadence for a Substack-style publication.
Collaborate with the team to brainstorm and prioritize an existing pipeline of potential stories.
Handle sensitive personal stories involving vulnerable children and families with maturity, empathy, discretion, and care.