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A team of intrepid volunteers
has just returned from rural Egypt, where they spent ten days
helping some of the country’s poorest inhabitants to rebuild
their homes. Travelling as part of the Upper Egypt House
Building Project funded by Christian charity BibleLands,
the 13 team members worked in partnership with Egyptian
families determined to work their way out of the poverty trap.
The team toiled for around
five hours each day on such diverse tasks as roofing,
plastering, digging foundations, sieving desert sand and
carrying hundreds of limestone bricks.
Team member Joan Wells, from
Guildford, was keen to do something practical to support the
work of BibleLands, which she and her late husband John
had been interested in for many years.
“For some years,” she says. “I
have felt that I would like, in some small way, to help less
fortunate people of the world and at the same time show
something of the love of God. When I heard about the volunteer
scheme, I felt this would give me an opportunity to make some
active contribution to society in general and more
particularly to Egypt.”
The volunteers were struck by
the levels of abject poverty in rural Egypt and by the
challenges faced by the inhabitants in trying to break this
cycle. All were humbled and inspired by the villagers’
cheerfulness and enthusiasm, and the strong sense of community
between neighbours of both Christian and Muslim faith.
The volunteers’ trip followed
the huge success of a special BibleLands appeal, which
earlier this year raised more than £200,000 to support the
rebuilding of poverty housing in Egypt. The project, operating
in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, will help more than
550 families to improve their squalid living conditions over
the next three years.
BibleLands will be
sending another volunteer team to Egypt in March 2007. No
building experience is necessary and there is no upper age
limit. If you would like further information, please contact
Jennie Watts on 01494 897931,
jennie.watts@biblelands.org.uk, or
visit
www.biblelands.org.uk/volunteer.
Media Enquiries:
Caroline Rance
Tel: 01494
897933
caroline.rance@biblelands.org.uk
Alison MacTier
Tel: 01494
897908
alison.mactier@biblelands.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
BibleLands
Founded by the Rev Cuthbert
Young in 1854 to support the work of American missionaries
serving a distressed and vulnerable Armenian population, BibleLands
is a non-denominational Christian charity that now works in
partnership with some 50 local Christian-led projects in the
lands of the Bible – primarily Israel and the Occupied
Territories, Egypt and Lebanon, in the fields of Education;
Social Care; Special Needs; Medical Care; Vocational and Adult
Training; Support and Care of Refugees.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is
an interdenominational Christian charity dedicated to
eliminating poverty housing worldwide.
Since its founding in 1976,
Habitat for Humanity has helped more than 1 million people of
all races, faiths and backgrounds to have a simple, decent
place to live.
Habitat for Humanity Egypt
works in 13 communities and has to date assisted over 20,000
Egyptian people in achieving decent housing conditions. Just
as important as building affordable houses is strengthening
community relationships of mutual respect without
discrimination.
www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk
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