In a neighbourhood full of red brick homes is a modern grey school building with classrooms no different from those of an international school. Colourful geometrical designs line the floor of the building which houses the new community school at the heart of the impoverished neighbourhood of Istabl Antar in Ezbet Khairallah, one of the largest and most densely populated informal communities in Egypt. Upon entering the school, there are sounds of cheeky but excited laughter of students who have been given a new opportunity for education and with it a prospect of a better life. Built over 1,000 square metres with a capacity to host over 500 students, the new school caters to children who lack schooling. Founded by the development NGO Tawasol Foundation and real estate giant SODIC, the school aims to re-enrol children into the education system. It provides ministry-certified education along with vocational training. This helps to ensure that the children remain in school and do not drop out because it provides them with much-needed additional income to help support their families. The school also offers an expanded performing arts programme. Facilities include everything from a science lab to a theatre, library, gym, food court, medical clinics, and an auditorium. The school will also act as a community hub, offering health services that include free weekly checkups and funding programmes for students and neighbouring community members. “Since we opened the doors of the new school, children and young adults have been pouring in to enrol. And for the first time in Ezbet Khairallah we saw kids on wheelchairs who want to apply since we can accommodate children with special needs. Now that the school is built, our next challenge is to ensure the sustainability of the school and students' continuous education,” Yasmina Abu Youssef, co-founder of Tawasol, said on her Facebook page, adding that such projects revive hope in Egypt. The school is Tawasol's second in the vicinity, having established the first in 2008. The NGO's first school takes in school dropouts from four slum areas in Cairo. It also assists members of the community, especially women and children in learning crafts, then marketing their products, providing them with a permanent source of income. All proceeds from the sale of their products are given back to the communities that made them, either as artisans' wages or to help sustain community development projects. The products are all hand-made using locally sourced materials, the Tawasol website said. Tawasol Egypt supports two community development initiatives: Tawasol for Development of Istabl Antar and the Rommana for Development NGO Workshop. The workshop trains and employs women in the Mokattam area of Cairo, and provides a sustainable income for around 20 female-headed households.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 December, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
