The number of underprivileged people in Egypt is by and large constant but, as Hadeel Al-Shalchi finds out, self-sufficiency may be the way forward -- and out Down several narrow corridors in Imbaba, a small outlet called Nadi Video stands, its lights dimmed inside. The wooden shelves are painted purple and reach to the ceiling, but today they sit bare, stripped of the popular movies they once carried. In their place are a dozen sunflower oil bottles, sugar packs, and biscuits. On the threshold, her back hunched and her heavy face framed by a tightly wrapped headscarf, Fatma sits. In front of her is a small table filled with Jelly Cola, wafers and brightly-wrapped chewing gum. A tower of many flavoured Chipsy boxes stands to her right. And tears stream down her brown face as she recounts the day her husband was dragged away to jail, where he remains. "He signed checks he just couldn't pay off... so they came and took away all our videotapes," Fatma says. "I had to sell all my furniture to make the payments... we slept on the floor." Fatma was forced to go from charity to charity with her case to seek help. And that's when the well-known volunteer-run organisation, Resala, stepped in. After four rigorous inspections, Resala decided on a self- sufficiency project for Fatma and her family. With a small loan and use of the existing storefront, a small grocery business was set up in the former video store. "At least I can feed my children and buy some furniture now," she says. "And I've almost paid off my loan to Resala, so I can get another with which to expand the business." Fatma is just one of dozens of successful self- sufficiency projects across Cairo. Confucious's idea of teaching a man to fish instead of giving a man fish is catching on very quickly among Egyptian charities. "We're against the idea of handing out monthly donations," says Resala's Wafa Maharem. "We go out there and ask, 'What can you do? Do you clean homes, is your son a good mechanic? As long as you're able to work, enjoy good health, but all that's missing is the financial backing -- well, we'll take care of that. We'll be beside you all the way'." The project is based on a loan programme. Each month the new business owner is expected to save a pound a day to give back 30 pounds a month back to Resala. This money is then used to fund another project. Businesses are normally simple plans such as yam vendors or vegetable stands. Loans for small businesses, like Fatma, range from LE300 to LE1,500. Rania El-Shourbagy bustles from room to room in the Mosaada Cairo office, her long black abaya trailing behind her. She switches the lights on in each room to show off the heaps of blankets, furniture, and recyclables the group has collected over the months. Then she drops in a heap on the couch; it's 7pm but another day of her second job at the charity has just begun. "I have a crazy amount of pending cases that need help," sighs El-Shourbagy. "And this is without overtly publicising our activities." Established in 2005 and operating out of a small apartment in Nasr City, Mosaada provides basic charity services in seven areas of Egypt. It also helps families through donations to a web site, www.mosaada.com. Services include helping orphans and preparing brides for their new lives. Added to this list is a project called Robabekia, loosely translated as "Garage Sale Items". Mosaada collects used and broken furniture from families across the city and fixes them at a carpenter's. Once the items are ready and cleaned up, they are distributed free to poor families who are getting a daughter ready for marriage. "Some of these people's happiest moments are when their daughter gets married," says El-Shourbagy. "All the girl wants is a new bed, a new cupboard, or a new fridge. So I do that for her." Perhaps the largest self-sufficiency project in Cairo will start at the end of the year, when the Egyptian Food Bank opens its first packing materials factory. The brainchild of Executive Director Reda Sukker, the Food Bank now doles out three million meals a month and owns two large dried foodstuffs storage rooms in Cairo. In cooperation with other charity organisations and hotels, hot meals and dried food are consistently distributed to all parts of Egypt. With the packaging factory, the Food Bank plans on saving money through producing its own food packaging material, employing some of those who have received aid through the Bank, and also using the profits form the factory to start smaller projects and business for the families they help. "One of our missions is to devise a plan to wipe out hunger in Egypt," says Sukker. "We put together a five- year plan and realised the amount of money required to do it will be in the millions. So we decided to start small projects for the people we actually help, to encourage self-sufficiency. The factory will be the source of capital since donations may not be consistent." All charities agree that in some cases, they are changing the mentality of a group of people typically afraid of work. "It's not laziness," says Ahmed El-Sukkari of Resala. "Many of the people we help are just afraid of the idea of work because they're used to being unemployed and are born in a culture of unemployment. We give them a push; show them it's possible and doable. And they do thrive. We want to create a society that is giving and not just taking." El-Sukkari says the trick is to think basics, and to match the abilities of the person with what he or she can actually produce. One of the ways they helped a man was by purchasing him a cart and donkey to make deliveries. "The man was so happy he hung little lanterns from the donkey's ears," says El-Sukkari. Finally, all charities agree these projects are about giving the less fortunate among us their dignity back, and helping them attain a sense of control over their fate. "In our [Arab] culture, it's very embarrassing for someone to have another know he is asking for help," says the Food Bank's Sukker. "So our main duty is to provide this help in the most sensitive way possible. Someone who could really need help could actually refuse assistance if he feels his dignity is being impinged on. And this isn't what we're here to do." To contribute to any of these charities, call: Resala: 0279450 Mosaada: 02 260-5641 The Egyptian Food Bank: 16060
