'The need to give'

Mrs Mubarak spoke to Dahlia Hammouda about long- and short-term accomplishments, her coming agenda and her hopes for the future
Mrs Suzanne Mubarak has devoted much of her life to championing the cause of the deprived, vulnerable and downtrodden segments of Egyptian society. Her determination to help people in need was sparked more than two decades ago during her undergraduate university studies, even before she entered public life. In 1977, she headed a project to adopt a public school in Bulaq -- one of Cairo's poorest districts -- that involved the creation of integrated care for the school's children. The project, later successfully emulated in a number of other schools, became the subject of her thesis for a master's degree in sociology from the American University in Cairo. This personal commitment to the service of children and the needy has led Mrs Mubarak to initiate, direct and sponsor activities that respond to specific national needs, making her one of the most active people on the public scene. Conscious that her role complements that of the president, Mrs Mubarak has used her personality, influence and resolve to improve the lives of the underprivileged. Besides being a local role model, she has represented her country eloquently in the international arena, establishing an image of Egyptian women as enlightened and empowered in the world's eye.
Your Excellency is expected to be fully engaged in the next few weeks. What are the major events coming up?
Three main events are planned for the coming period. From 22 to 24 April, a very important national conference on drug prevention will be held in Cairo. We have reached a serious stage in which more and more of our children are smoking at a very early age. According to specialists' reports, early smokers are the ones most likely to use other drugs in the future. The conference will aim at discussing means of preventing drug abuse and will also be putting across a very important message regarding the gravity of smoking.
From 28 to 31 May, we will be hosting the African child summit, which is a big responsibility because it has the ambitious goal of arriving at a unified stance among African countries on children's issues. Spouses of heads of state will be coming to Cairo to prepare for an African position to present at the United Nations children's summit in New York in September. As you know, Africa has many problems related to children, such as children in armed conflict, AIDS and child labour. As a continent, it would serve us well to have a concerted voice.
The first meeting of the Alexandria Library board of trustees is also planned for the end of May. It is very exciting; really a dream come true. We've been working very hard, and now we already have our board of trustees, after they have all accepted to serve on the board. We will be meeting to set the agenda for the running of the library. The exciting thing, of course, is that this is the first time ever for any Egyptian institution to be managed by an international board of trustees. I have great hopes for this library and I'm sure our ambitions will be realised and it will be a great asset to the country.
Children are constantly in your heart, not only on your extensive work agenda in Egypt, but also during your official visits abroad. On your recent US trip, what were the highlights of the discussions revolving around children's education and welfare?
I think we had very beneficial encounters in Washington. I find that we and the Americans have some kind of language in common. On my trips abroad, I always try to see new things with the objective of coming back to implement some of the things I have learned.
I visited the Lab School, a pioneering US endeavour that specialises in the education of special-needs children through art. The school teaches these children, who are aged four to 19, and who have trouble reading, by developing their abilities through the use of artistic learning. The aim is to teach these children skills that would be useful to them in future and enable them to integrate within their societies. In our country, the needs of this special category of children are not catered to properly.
I also met with the US secretary of education and we exchanged views on the latest educational techniques, as well as the evaluation of talented children and the various programmes designed to enhance their aptitudes at all educational levels. It is amazing how they detect these children's abilities from first grade in school. I was given an overview of schools' special screening system, the crucial role that families play in this process and how these children receive a different education and are regularly evaluated.
During my meeting with Laura Bush -- whom I met before when she came to Egypt on a private visit -- we exchanged views on the educational process in both countries. Our interests are remarkably similar, most importantly our interest in starting reading at a very early age. We talked about President and Mrs Bush's joint efforts to spread national libraries and to raise awareness of the importance of reading as an instrument in raising and educating young children. We also visited Petworth Branch Library on the occasion of US celebrations of National Library Week.
Lynn Cheney, wife of the US vice president, hosted a group of prominent educators and sociologists to a very stimulating round-table discussion on education and its problems in the US. We sometimes are under the mistaken impression that an advanced country like the US does not have such problems. The meeting revealed, however, that the US and Egypt share common educational problems, most notably in public schools. These concerns include school dropouts, overcrowded classes, teacher training, curricula development and introducing modern concepts in learning.
Speakers focused on prospects for improvement in both countries. Both sides agreed to cooperate, exchange experiences and work together to find suitable solutions to these problems.
During the trip, you also discussed women's empowerment and health issues in the US and Egypt. What were the main points raised?
I visited the National Institute of Health -- one of the largest medical research centres in the US, which also works to support and care for women and special-needs individuals -- where staff and other experts gave me an overview of the US health care system. There was a discussion of the role of health institutes in providing health care services to special-needs children, the handicapped and particularly to women. The US side expressed readiness to cooperate fully with Egypt in these fields through the provision of training grants.
I also attended a luncheon at the Meridian International Centre, which is a non-profit educational and cultural institution that promotes understanding through the exchange of people, ideas and the arts. In the short speech I delivered on women's role in Egypt, I stressed the importance of women's participation as equal partners in development. I also outlined the numerous achievements made to empower Egyptian women in the last several years, which were crowned last year by the establishment of the National Council for Women (NCW).
I also visited the Woodrow Wilson Centre and attended a luncheon jointly organised by the centre and the Businesswomen's Network, where I spoke of working women's conditions in Egypt and the efforts made by the Egyptian government to educate women and girls and provide them with training opportunities to increase their incomes.
I pointed out, however, that women's share in the business sector does not exceed five per cent, expressing my hope that the US might be able to provide us with training and development support through the appropriate channels to women small-business owners.
What concrete steps toward improving women's status did the Arab women's summit, convened last year, generate?
The idea of the summit emerged almost a year before it was convened, out of an explicit mutual feeling among Arab first ladies that the time had come for women to have a bigger role and say in the issues and causes of our common nation and in the developmental processes of their respective countries.
The conference was also part of a larger historic moment for the Arab world, when solidarity emerged as the only means of facing up to the dangers that threaten us. It was an expression of our dream of a better tomorrow for Arab women everywhere. It was the voice of these women expressing their anger at the crimes committed against Palestinian women and children and offering their support to the Arab people who suffer from sanctions that have gone too far.
We Arab women feel that the changing world scene necessitates that we tackle age-old problems and that we no longer tolerate isolation or crippling restrictions. And we did draw up a plan of action for organising and mobilising Arab women during 2001, declared the year of the Arab woman.
We must remember that the mere fact that so many Arab first ladies came together to push for the improved status of women in their societies is a major achievement and a very good beginning. Through regular gatherings, we aim to come up with a pan-Arab programme for the coming years -- one that takes into account the specific and distinct conditions of each Arab country.
I think that coming together like this shows that there is a political commitment. It is obvious that there's going to be a change in the Arab world and that the time is right for such a change.
"And it's happening. The very fact that parents in the villages send their girls to school means they are beginning to understand the value of education. These people now know that education helps a girl to become a better mother and wife, and that education is, as they say, 'a weapon in her hand'"
A number of forums will be held in the run-up to the second Arab women's summit, due to be held in Morocco in November. Aside from discussing the forums' recommendations, what will the next summit aim to achieve?
Although the previous summit was a success, we have yet to institutionalise it. It's one thing to have a conference, but what then? There is no legal status for all this. We are trying to find this legal status, either through cooperation with the Arab League, or through some other entity. We are still studying our options, trying to reach the best way for these gatherings to take on the appropriate status and to become a continuous process. Because, as you know, unfortunately, we are often prone to taking certain steps forward and then taking these same steps back again. Once this is done, it will be a great positive step for Arab women, enabling them to share with, learn from and support each other.
Before the Morocco summit in November, there will be six separate forums held in six different Arab capitals in the coming months. At the end of this month, there will be a forum titled "Women and the Law" in Bahrain. In May, "Women and Politics" will be held in Tunisia. In June, Iraq will be hosting the "Women and Society" forum. In July, "Women and the Media" will be held in the United Arab Emirates. In August, the "Women Abroad" forum will be held in Jordan and in September, the "Women and Economics" forum will be hosted in Kuwait.
We are definitely counting on coming up with important recommendations in these fields to be used as the basis for future work.
You are vice-president of UNESCO's World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST). What does this body aim to achieve and what went on at the recent commission meeting you attended in Paris ?
COMEST was created in 1998 to provide an intellectual forum for the exchange of ideas and experience on the ethical aspects of water management, energy and information. According to its mandate, the main purpose of the commission is to highlight values permitting better and broader cooperation throughout the world, both in science and technology and in the social and cultural spheres. The commission has to ensure that the advancement and sharing of knowledge are fully consistent with respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, and has to draw up action-oriented recommendations for policymakers.
As vice-president of the commission, I made two proposals at the Paris meeting last December. One was that Egypt be made the headquarters of a network of research centres for the ethical management of fresh water resources in Africa and the Middle East. The importance of proper management of water cannot be over-emphasised, especially for a country like Egypt. In addition, the country's geographical location is ideal for such a centre and it has a long history of work in developing and managing the Nile.
I also suggested that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina should become the locus for the exchange of information, culture and technology for the world. The commission approved this proposal.
Women's participation improved visibly in our recently concluded parliamentary elections. Can this increased awareness be attributed to the role played by the relatively new National Council for Women?
An unprecedented 120 women contested the 2000 elections. Seven were elected, which, while not a huge number, represents the highest number of women MPs to have been elected to the People's Assembly since the abrogation of the 1979 law that designated a specific number of parliamentary seats for women. The NCW encouraged women both to vote and stand for election in a number of ways. It put pressure on the various political parties to nominate as many women candidates as possible. It also commissioned highly-qualified professionals to train women candidates on how to confront their opponents and emerge victorious. Moreover, it helped many of them organise their campaign publicity.
Voter turnout among women was also remarkably high. The NCW helped back female voters by facilitating the issuing of ID cards for women who did not have them. In cooperation with the Interior Ministry, the NCW organised the issuing of IDs though mobile civil registry units. These IDs could be used instead of voting cards to cast ballots. But also, I believe that women are increasingly aware of the importance of participation in the political process.
Suggestions have been made regarding the use of a quota system for women in parliament and in party leadership positions. Do you believe this would be an effective means of enhancing women's presence in public institutions?
I think that any country should go through the democratic experience in full, even if it has to bear its ills at times. Theoretically, the principle of equality between men and women is not subject to debate. It is clearly stated in the Egyptian Constitution, which asserts and codifies this equality. However, women's political participation remains low in comparison to international figures in general and to men's participation in particular.
I believe we should encourage women to participate in the political process without giving them an advantage over men, which would negate the concept of equality. A quota system would be most useful in countries where there are many women contestants with strong platforms who are not given the chance to be elected, which is not the case in Egypt.
I also believe that effective women's participation is not measured in numbers. Many women MPs are criticised for failing to participate actively in parliament once they have been elected. The NCW is lending a helping hand in this respect. It is planning to establish a technical-political department to serve as a back-up office for women representatives, to acquaint them with the main issues coming up for parliamentary debate and help them prepare position papers on each issue and bill. They need to know the consequences of each draft law for women and they need to take the initiative in raising legal issues that affect women and would not be raised by male MPs. Which brings us back to the vital issue of raising women's awareness, in general, of the value of political participation in order to protect their own rights.
Concrete steps to give Egyptian women their full legal rights have recently been taken. What more can be done to improve their legal status?
In very simple terms, it is very important that the NCW is not viewed as an executive branch. In no way are we taking the place of a ministry, for example. But because women's issues, health issues, educational issues and cultural issues are in every sector of society, what the council is trying to do is combine all these through a holistic approach. So when there's a particular problem facing women, we use advocacy to bring all these sectors together to come up with a national view.
Regarding the laws, we are just advocates. We have a very strong legal committee that expresses our opinions in the concerned institutions. We give them our recommendations and whether they heed them or not is up to them. So far, we have been lucky because the issues we advocate are backed by law. There's no point in coming out with recommendations that are not feasible, that cannot be justified or put into action.
Till now, four vital legislative achievements have been made -- the suspension of the penal code article concerning crimes of rape, the issuing of the new code of procedures for the Personal Status Law, the introduction of khul', through which a woman can receive a speedy divorce by relinquishing her financial claims, and the elimination of constraints on women's right to travel. The NCW also succeeded in reinstating an article -- inadvertently dropped from the Personal Status Law -- stipulating the payment of alimony to wives without them having to go through courts.
Do you feel Egyptian women married to foreign men should have the right to pass their nationality on to their offspring?
This is a very sensitive issue that is under study at present. It is not something we can act upon right away. It is subject to the laws of the country and different parties have conflicting views about it, which is why it has not yet been resolved. Every country has its own regulations and we are currently studying how other countries are dealing with this. I have requested that a full report be sent to me and it should be on my desk very soon. It's a big issue, but we will see what can be done.
Do you think the proposed amendments to the current NGO law could help render these organisations more instrumental in the country's development process?
I have reiterated that the work of non-governmental organisations is indispensable to national welfare and advancement. NGOs, along with the government and the private sector, are partners in the development process. But in order for NGOs to work effectively, they must do so within an enabling legal framework that fits with our constitution. The NCW is currently working very hard in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice to arrive at a new version of the law that would satisfy all parties concerned.
Combating poverty, especially among women, is high on the global agenda of social priorities. As head of the NCW, and president of its predecessor, the National Women's Committee, you have focused much attention on improving the lot of deprived segments of Egyptian society. What sort of difference have such organisations made to needy women in our country?
Egypt has placed the alleviation and, ultimately, the eradication of poverty at the centre of its national development strategy.
Women constitute only 20 per cent of the labour force and are employed in either low-paying jobs or in the public or informal sectors. Of course, poverty and unemployment go hand in hand.
Egypt has focused on improving women's access to land and livestock assets in the land settlement projects. Prior to 1998, only a minor fraction of the land had been allocated to women.
The Ministry of Agriculture made a significant move in gender mainstreaming at the beginning of 2000. Quotas were reserved for female graduates and female heads of households. And in all other households, 20 per cent of the land is now allocated in the name of the small landowner's wife. This gives women more economic security in times of personal crisis. Through projects organised by the NCW, women are also given access to cooperatives and credit to cover start-up costs for their own small businesses.
You have often spoken of your hope to eradicate female illiteracy, principally in rural areas, in the coming years. Will this require substantially more government spending, given already limited resources?
If we were to look at the investment in girls' education from an economic point of view -- a cost-benefit analysis -- studies show that the return on investment for educating girls far exceeds that for educating boys. This, of course, is due to the fact that girls will be mothers one day, and responsible for bringing up a new generation. Besides, women's illiteracy is closely associated with marginalising a basic component of society and curtailing their productive ability.
Currently, government and NGO literacy programmes abound in Egypt. Many target women, who constitute the majority of the country's illiterates. In addition, girls are far more likely to drop out of school than boys.
There are still very strong social traditions in rural areas that prevent a girl from enrolling or continuing school. If the classroom is mixed, if the teacher is a man, if the school is far away -- these are all plausible reasons for not allowing her to go to school.
To combat the gender gap problem in education, we had to find innovative methods. We had to attempt to solve the problem in a practical way without ignoring the social dimension. Since rural parents were unwilling to send their girls to school, we have, in a manner of speaking, sent the schools to the girls. The one-class schools programme is supposed to be as gender-sensitive as possible, while also taking into account parents' fears for their daughters. We have established a network of 2,000 one-classroom schools located exclusively in villages and isolated communities where enrollment for girls was particularly low. There are another 1,000 such schools on the way.
At the recent conference in Aswan on girls in Upper Egypt, I made it quite clear that I believe the responsibility of following up on these programmes to ensure their success lies in the governors' hands. And very soon, we are going to be meeting with the governor of Minya to look at his plans and to make sure that admission rates has risen and that the dropout rate has come down.
As I said before, the governor is responsible for ensuring that the number of students entering school is the same as the number that graduate. As for dropouts, he has to find out why they have dropped out and to try to bring them back into the educational system. It usually happens that children are not doing well in school, so they must be prodded to try again.
Discussions at the first NCW conference, titled "Women and the Media," highlighted the distorted way in which women are still perceived by men and the need to modernise cultural traditions and social sensibilities. Is not the creation of more enlightened men, willing to allow women their fair share of education and decision making, a fundamental prerequisite for women's advancement, especially in rural areas? Does such a development suggest both the way forward for women, and, at the same time, the threat of a negative social reaction?
We cannot expect to go very far with our campaigns for raising women's awareness of their rights if outdated traditions still have them shackled in chains. Women have to be supported by fathers, brothers and husbands who are willing to allow them to grow and gain their rightful status in society. So we need more enlightened women as well as more enlightened men to make real progress.
And it's happening. The very fact that parents in the villages send their girls to school means they are beginning to understand the value of education. These people now know that education helps a girl to become a better mother and wife, and that education is, as they say, 'a weapon in her hand.'
We are beyond the stage at which men do not understand these things. And the media, of course, helps. With a television in every home, awareness is being raised. The message is definitely there. We just need to ensure that it is translated into action.
I believe it is not impossible to shake off obsolete attitudes and traditions in people's minds. For example, when the law on khul' came up for discussion in the People's Assembly recently, it caused a huge uproar among men from all walks of life. But slowly, with the help of the media, many misunderstandings regarding the law were cleared up and people started to accept it. This kind of development is a gradual process.
You have embarked on a much-needed campaign to raise money for medical care of children with cancer across the country. How are these funds channelled to their designated recipients?
We're doing a lot of good there and we're very proud of that. It is obvious that there could be no greater satisfaction than being able to make a child happy by replacing his tears with smiles. The promotion of children's health is at the heart of our child protection and development efforts. And for children afflicted with that most pernicious of diseases -- cancer -- our efforts most probably make the difference between life or death.
The Ministry of Health and Population has, so far, established eight modern oncology centres, which are located in various parts of the country, so family members do not need to travel back and forth if someone needs treatment. A special department for children has been established in every centre. These centres naturally need well-trained personnel. So far, the state has done its best with the available human and financial resources, but it needs to do more with the help of private donations. The private sector and NGOs are also being called upon to share in the lengthy and costly treatment of cancer patients.
As for the money raised through the national campaign for the treatment of children with cancer, it is meant to cover part of the financial burden their families have to shoulder. Otherwise they would surely discontinue treatment, because they could not afford it. For every child who uses this money, a report is filed monthly with the various cancer centres showing the status of the child's health and the cost of treatment. This helps donors feel their money is going to the right place, in addition to encouraging them to adopt cases from the day they are admitted to the centre till the day they are cured.
We have to boost the process every now and then, because people tend to forget. That's why I make it a point to visit these sites, in order to ensure extra media coverage so that people remember the cause.
Due to your relentless efforts, regular campaigns have been instituted for blood donations, the eradication of diseases causing blindness, and so forth. These have led to great improvements in each specific field. Yet despite all your work, the standard of medical services offered by public-sector hospitals is wanting. Could the proposed national medical insurance system help solve this problem?
The government is fully committed to providing all Egyptians with high-quality, affordable health care under a health sector reform programme that is underway. But the task is not an easy one. The Ministry of Health has been working closely with other ministries, in addition to health facilities, NGOs and experts, to design and implement programmes enhancing quality in health care.
There have been a number of successes. Family planning centres were a high priority. Mother and child health have witnessed significant improvements. Our life expectancy, a sign of general health conditions, has improved from 53 years for men and 57 for women 20 years ago, to 65 for men and 69 for women today. Work is ongoing to refurbish older medical facilities and extend medical infrastructure nationwide. Once again, private sector and NGO activities are providing relief in rural areas and educating people about nutrition and preventive health practices. Accident and emergency care services have been upgraded and the private sector has been influential in setting up blood banks and community clinics.
Despite these advances, however, problems still persist. Although the new health insurance law has inspired a heated public debate, it is worth studying. Perhaps it could assist the government in securing the required funding to upgrade our medical system. It would also be useful to look at other developing countries' experiences in this respect.
Women's reproductive rights and reproductive health are high on the global agenda of women's rights. How do you assess Egyptian efforts to combat the wide range of unhealthy practices to which women and female children are subjected?
There have been a number of positive changes in the field of women's reproductive rights, including increased funding for reproductive health, increased participation of religious leaders in discussions of reproductive rights and the recognition of NGOs as important social actors. The Population Council points to a slight decline in the practice of female genital mutilation in Egypt. It will take more time to observe a significant decline, if only because the process of informing people and changing their attitudes, and the reflection of this change in their practice, is a lengthy one. But the process is happening.
A couple of years into the educational process, many children become apathetic towards learning and graduate to become under-achievers. Serious concern has recently been voiced over the state of schools and the quality of school curricula. How can public schools be better equipped to deliver a reasonable educational experience?
Within the past decade, we have taken a unilateral approach designed to impact every area in need of attention in the field of education, including the eradication of illiteracy, improving basic primary school education, upgrading secondary and university educational systems and expanding post-graduate study possibilities. In the context of economic reform, we have redoubled our efforts to allocate and administer government funding to the cause of education.
With respect to formal education, we are making important gains. In addition to the renovation of nearly 25,000 schools, 9,000 new ones were built, 48 per cent of which are equipped with computer labs. Other ongoing efforts include teacher re-training, textbook revision and curriculum changes to acquaint the young with issues such as human rights, environmental and population growth problems and drug abuse.
Moreover, we've established a children's book fair and the Reading for All programme as annual events to encourage youngsters to read and expand their horizons.
Yet much still remains to be done. Curricula should continue to be updated to make learning more enticing to children, teachers need to be better trained and motivated to modernise their teaching methods and textbooks need to be more colourful and interesting. There should be an emphasis on encouraging children to understand what they are memorising and teaching them how to analyse information and apply it in their daily lives.
"Reading for All" has proven to be one of the country's most successful social and cultural projects. What are the main components of its success?
Within the framework of a campaign which, I am proud to say, I initiated in 1991 to encourage all family members to read and to implant the habit of reading in our children's and young people's minds, a large number of libraries have opened all over the country. The number of participating libraries are in the neighbourhood of 17,000 now, belonging to different institutions. We have succeeded in republishing thousands of books every year at nominal prices, thus making them accessible and affordable to a vast majority of Egyptian families. According to statistics, around 20 million youngsters have benefited from the activities accompanying the Reading for All festival last year.
As a successful pilot effort, Reading for All has been lauded and adopted internationally by UNESCO, as well as regionally by Arab states.
This project sets a fine example for close cooperation and coordination between NGOs and the ministries of culture, education, information, youth as well as local government units. The campaign's timing -- during the summer holidays, when these young people genuinely need to be doing something useful -- has also contributed to its huge success.
As this summer's Reading for All festival approaches, last week we launched a new national campaign under the motto "Read to your child," the aim of which is to instill the love of learning in pre-school children.
Speaking of cultural issues related to children, how do you assess the current quality of children's programming on Egyptian television? How could it become more compatible with the concepts and norms of the 21st century?
I think we can make better use of television to transmit to young minds in a fun and friendly way many issues of concern in our changing world, and to equip them to deal with these issues when they grow up. Intelligent children's programming can instill certain ideas and values that are indispensable in today's world. Children would be able to learn about these concepts without even realising it; they could grow with these issues.
A very successful programme on Egyptian television is Sesame's World, an Egyptian adaptation of the famous Sesame Street, of which I have always been a fan. Developed in close consultation with educational advisors, as well as child psychologists and experts from the Ministries of Education, Environment and Information, the programme's curriculum is attuned to our rich history and culture. While building a love of learning and self-confidence in children is the core of the programme, Sesame's World addresses issues such as health and hygiene, the natural world and emotional expression. The programme also imparts skills such as cooperation, conflict resolution and encouraging mutual respect.
I believe if more programmes can be conceptualised in this way, we would be doing our children a great service.
Your Excellency has worked extensively to extend a helping hand to children in greatest need, particularly the disabled. How would you evaluate the standard of services offered today to these children?
In the past several years, the country has been turning its attention to children with special needs -- the handicapped, children born with genetic defects, the mentally challenged and street children. This is due to increased awareness of children's rights following President Mubarak's announcements of two consecutive decades dedicated to Egyptian children (1989-1999 and 2000-2010). The attention given to special-needs children was a natural result of the government's general focus on children. In 1977, I founded the Integrated Care Society as a non-profit organisation with the main objective of providing social, cultural and health care to schoolchildren. The society, which I chair, has taken a pioneering interest in promoting activities for the disabled, particularly those with sensory and mental handicaps. It has also established a Centre for Children with Disabilities that provides assessment, family counselling and referral services. The goal is to empower these young people in a way that would help them adapt to living within their families and society. Their presence should become a positive addition and a productive factor, so that they are able to depend on themselves and cooperate with others in a stable and secure way.
Last week, I visited two of five public schools for special-needs children that have been renovated by the Integrated Care Society. Teachers were specially trained, new curricula were introduced and the schools were supplied with modern equipment and facilities. The results, I must say, were quite impressive.
I think our work and campaigning in this field has been very successful and has changed the way in which many people view these children. Families no longer lock them up at home to hide them from others. People have learned that they have capabilities that must be tapped and they are being accepted and respected much more in their communities.
How important would you say the role of the family is in a world where media and the society play an ever greater part?
I cannot stress enough the importance of the family. I see the new generation of young parents, who have a much easier life than our generation did, and yet are not doing their part. They want more and more out of life and lose sight of the importance of giving time to their children.
In today's world, we are inundated by information that rains upon us from all different directions. With our children exposed to such an overflow of data on a daily basis, selectivity becomes very important. And it is here that the role of the family becomes all the more crucial. A strong family with caring parents, who can guide their children to differentiate between ideas and concepts that are consistent with our values and traditions and those that are not, is vital. The family essentially becomes a receptacle for all the information encountered by their children and its increasingly important role is to perform a filtering process.
Closer to home, Your Excellency is an active patron of numerous local and international institutions benefiting a wide array of causes. Do you see this involvement as one of your official responsibilities, or is it a personal commitment?
Both. On the personal level, it is a dedication; something I feel inside -- the need to give. And I feel that since I can give, because of my position, I cannot not give. I began working before I took up this position. I felt it very early on in my life, during my studies, that something was ignited. But I have always felt also that people who are in a position to give should do so, especially those who are working with children's issues and preparing the next generation. We're talking about quality of life for these children; preparing them to lead a good life. So it's difficult to separate the two. The personal is definitely there and, of course, the responsibility that it is my duty to serve and this is how I can.
In a way, also, I feel I'm helping the president -- that it's part of the post. Since I am able to move more easily than him in certain circles and establish more contacts at the social level, I can help make sure that the social aspects of the responsibility are being partially met. At least we are aware of the problems, not isolated. All problems on the social level, however small, find their way to my desk. There is no problem with which I'm not personally involved.
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