CAIRO: Inner Wheal Zamalek organized Saturday its annual charity fair at Semiramis Intercontinental hotel.Inner Wheal targeted about LE 250,000 of fundraising through the entry tickets, sponsors and renting corners. "This money will be directed to the areas deprived of drinking water in Giza and the [marginalized] children suffering from kidney failure disease in Upper Egypt, Inner Wheal member and fair organizer Samia Aboul-Fotouh.A wide range of products, especially handmade, were showcased in the one-day event, while free coffee and tea offered by sponsors were always available for shoppers to help them further enjoy their tour. Exhibitors, who don't own stores, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) usually depend on such events to market their products.One exhibitor, Pansee Adel, has been working on designing and producing silver jewelry for three years. For her, "fairs represent the most effective channel for marketing her production. Egyptian NGOs had an influential presence at the fair. Head of Society for Mothers and Children with Special Needs Malak Madkour recalls the time when she was 10 years old helping Queen Shwikar, wife of Egypt's late King Fouad I, in her charity activities. "One of my activities now is to help with selling the products of poor women and using part of the profit margin for the sake of children with special needs, Madkour said.Though held under the slogan "Made in Egypt, the fair hosted a Lebanese booth and another Palestinian one. Najat Arafat imports Palestinian ceramic handmade artifacts from cities like El-Khalil, the Gaza Strip and other parts of the Occupied Territories. "These are traditional handicrafts that are quite popular in Palestine, she said. "We aim at reviving these industries in Palestine and exporting them abroad. The Lebanese corner was dedicated to the handicrafts of Lebanese women and families who suffered the damages of wars. "Through the Child and Mother Welfare society, we market their products and create for them a means of living, Bar'a El-Alayli, a volunteer, said. "The subsequent wars afflicting Lebanon led to an unemployment problem, she added.
