Sokna is Egypt’s First End-to-End Funeral Service

There aren’t many occasions as sobering and profound as funerals. It’s the one time when everything should go smoothly so people can find the closure they need to move on. For some Egyptians, however, the proceedings are met with chaos instead. Having experienced this chaos for himself, Ahmed Gaballah - founder of Sokna, Egypt’s first end-to-end funerary services provider - decided to do something about it.

“It was 2005, I was studying at AUC when a friend’s father passed away and I was asked to help,” Gaballah tells CairoScene. “It was traumatic. It was my first time attending a funeral, and everything that could go wrong went wrong. Paperwork was a mess, we were hassled, and everything was depressing.”

Years later, Gaballah attended the funeral of a close friend in the USA. “It felt like he was getting a peaceful ending,” Gaballah recalls. “Which inspired me to think, well, why on earth aren’t we doing the same things for our funerals? It’s not rocket science to service people when they need it the most.”

Gaballah moved back to Cairo in 2019 and began noting how funerals are carried out by visiting cemeteries and meeting undertakers. “It’s a family-oriented industry that has unique economic and logistical complications,” he explains. “In the beginning there was a lot of friction. People didn’t trust us until we found a willing undertaker. Once that worked out, those around him were inspired to participate.”

Gallant launched Sokna in 2020, partnering with hospitals all over Cairo to streamline the process of holding a funeral in Egypt. Sokna’s services include pre-planning, transportation, hospital care, ‘Ghosl’ and ablution, burials, and mosque and church bookings, while supplementing each step with thorough care. Gaballah also built a comprehensive logistical network that ensures teams have a dispatch time of 10 minutes which is facilitated by their partner hospitals.

Having previously worked for the likes of Google and Facebook in Silicon Valley, and Adobe in India, Gaballah’s tech background allowed him to swiftly develop systems that could manage processes efficiently. Each dispatched team has one field director who is the only point of contact with the mourning family, while the rest operate in the background to arrange seats, pass refreshments around and help out the elderly. “They carry out their work in absolute silence and follow a specific set of steps.”

“Whenever someone joins they go through a training period to ensure that they are emotionally and professionally ready because these services are tolling,” he continues. “Egyptians from all walks of life are joining. Having went through similar experiences, they are passionate and determined to make an impact.”

Employers are increasingly seeking Sokna in order to stand by their employees at the toughest times. “Our partnership with Egypt’s Actors Syndicate was important to us because it was painful to see how many iconic figures who informed our culture weren’t getting a proper farewell,” Gaballah says.

As of today, Sokna has completed over 3,000 funerals and affected the lives of roughly 150,000 people. “It’s a profoundly sad experience, and how it’s managed can only make it worse. These moments are precious and long-lasting,” Gaballah says. “The feedback we’re getting is extremely real across the board.” Having developed an attachment to the teams, people end up visiting them at their Zamalek offices and even ask to volunteer.

Sokna is exploring a number of cities to expand its services, considering matters such as cemetery procurement and management of wills, which are more procedures that are needlessly causing hardships at times when calm and care are paramount. “Funerals are different around the world. In the west it’s a celebration of life and in the east it’s a passage of renewal. They are different interpretations but in the end it’s all grief, and we all want to do the best for the people we love.”