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Poverty in Egypt |
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My recent trip to Egypt included a visit to our Project Partners at the Salaam Medical Centre in Ezbet el Nakhl, on the outskirts of Cairo. We approached the Centre via an alarming maze of narrow potholed streets, full of noise and running with raw sewage. The same road also served as the children’s playground and a market for local food stalls. The heat and the smell were stifling. I was very relieved when we finally reached our destination and were greeted by Sister Maria, the Director, who ushered us into the calm of the Centre – an oasis of peace in a storm of noise, dirt and desperate poverty. I was delighted to see the wonderful work taking place there. The highlight of the day was meeting a young woman who had just given birth to the most beautiful baby girl. The baby was perfect, a completely blank canvas of new life. I was immediately struck by the unfairness of her situation – that there would be so little in the way of resources available for her future. Here at BibleLands, our receptionist, Caroline, has just given birth to a healthy son, George. He has been born into a family able to invest time in teaching him, he will have a church community to pray for him and nurture him and he lives in a country where education and a future are assured. He will never go short of food. The new baby I saw at the Salaam Centre will have none of these things. Her family is poor; she will live in the Zabaleen community, among the fly-ridden rubbish that her family collect and sort for a living. She will probably be excluded from the education system at the age of seven, as pupils who cannot read by this age are considered too far behind to catch up and there is no remedial help. Without literacy skills, she will not be able to register for her identity documents, and therefore will have no vote. She will not exist in legal terms or in government statistics. I returned from Egypt with a deep sense of this injustice. I wanted to offer more support to medical, educational and welfare facilities in Egypt; to make that baby’s future just a little brighter. The Salaam Centre shows what can be done to bring medical help to those in the greatest need, but it is truly just a drop in the ocean in a desperate situation. The exchange rate means that each UK pound has great value in Egypt. Consequently:
The photograph above was taken on that memorable journey through Ezbet el Nakhl. It is a snapshot of what life is like for so many. If you feel you would like to help me to make more of a difference in Egypt, please donate online or send your cheque or charity voucher (with your name and address, or supporter reference, on the back) to me at BibleLands Summer 2007 Appeal, FREEPOST, PO Box 50, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP15 7BR. I will ensure that it is used wherever the need is greatest, and that together, we will make a real difference to the lives of the poor in Egypt. Thank you |
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BibleLands' Head of Overseas Operations |
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