By Mahmoud Bakr THE GAMMALIYA district in Cairo has been undergoing intense renovation plans since 1999. Standing behind the project is the Friends of the Environment and Development Association (FEDA) that worked together with the Cairo governorate, the Awqaf Ministry and the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs, the Industrial Training Council, in addition to a number of international agencies, to renovate and rebuild three buildings in Old Cairo. The funding of the project was handled by the Egyptian Swiss Development Fund. The problem, however, with Gammaliya's post-renovation is that it requires constantly developing health and environmental consciousness with emphasis on schools and women since this area is surrounded by 18 schools. According to Adli Beshai, founder and head of FEDA, during the past nine years the association has thrust Gammaliya into the limelight and managed to upgrade the physical condition of Kahla Wekala which is now used as FEDA's Centre for Workshops and Handicrafts Training. Kharoub Wekala currently houses a computer centre, health unit and the Naguib Mahfouz Auditorium. The nearby Al-Rabae Wekala focuses on repair and maintenance of electrical and electronic appliances. Beshai believes it is imperative that the community participate in sustainable human and economic development. In 2005, the local NGO Sustainable Development Association for Gammaliya was registered to help further enrol the residents in the process of preserving the area. For this, five specialised committees were formed from community members: health and environment, youth and education, women and gender, workshops and handicrafts, and infrastructure. Regarding the ability of inhabitants of renovated areas to actually participate in sustaining the environment, the FEDA head said that this will only be achieved after "improving social, educational and cultural conditions of community members, and increasing the economic opportunities" through the provision of handicrafts training in such crafts as leather products, copper etching and carpet weaving, in addition to vocational training in repair and maintenance of household and office appliances. Beshai lists some of the activities to sustain the environmental and health conditions in Gammaliya, including garbage sorting and collection from homes and schools, clearing and cultivating roofs of neighbouring buildings, and controlling air pollution by installing mechanical filtres for machines to absorb particulates emitted during metal working. FEDA is an NGO established in 1992 as part of the United National Development Programme to implement strategies for sustainable development in Egypt. Its areas of interest cover fragile ecosystems, be they coastal areas like Rosetta, desert areas such as Wadi Natroun, or historic areas in need of repair, as is the case with Gammaliya.
