ALEXANDRIA: The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), the Youth Association for Population and Development (YAPD) and the United Nations in Egypt launched the third edition of the "Sailing the Nile for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2008 campaign this month. This year's campaign aims to raise awareness and enhance civil society participation in efforts to achieve the MDGs through volunteerism. The 2008 edition of "Sailing the Nile for the Millennium Development Goals has combined three different means of transport (feluccas, ICT bus and a train), as opposed to only feluccas. The campaign will continue for two months ending on Dec.13 in Cairo, conducting awareness-raising activities promoting volunteerism for the MDGs in seven more governorates across Egypt, namely, Aswan, Qena, Sohag, Assyut, Menia, Beni Suef, Cairo, in addition to the city of Luxor. The launch was attended by Alexandria Governor Adel Labib, Dr Ismail Serageldin, director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina, James Rawley, the UN Resident Coordinator, Dr Aziza Helmy, council advisor and director of Children at Risk Program for the NCCM, Joyce Yu, deputy executive coordinator for the UN Volunteers Program, and Hisham El Rouby, chairman of YAPD. Among attendees of this Launch was a group of 12 children from Cairo unprivileged families under Plan Egypt auspices. During their train trip from Cairo, the children conducted focus group discussions on problems faced in the exercise of child rights. One focus group, with representatives of ILO, discussed children's right to education, and poverty as being the main reason behind child labor. Also discussed was their right to express themselves and make changes in their own communities and their need to be connected with development organizations. Another focus group discussion was conducted with representatives from UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), tackling gender problems and violence against women and children. The discussions also shed light on sexual harassment of women and children. A third focus group discussion with NCCM was on educational problems in Egypt, lack of resources and poor quality of teaching staff. Discussions also tackled the roots of the dropout phenomenon. On the sidelines of the launch, Rasheed Organization for Development and Culture (a local NGO for children with disabilities) ran an arts and craft workshop for children with disabilities and organized an art gallery, showcasing the children's work. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) organized a workshop for children, using recycled material. JICA also conducted a puppet-show to explain the eight Millennium Development Goals to the public in addition to a magic show and acrobatics for children. A workshop was run by Clay Café, where children painted on clay products. Also the Faculty of Kindergarten Education conducted an arts and craft workshop as well as a puppet-show on the eight MDGs. At the end of the Launch, Ma'moun El Meligy's songs focused on advocating local community development and the individual as well as the collective responsibility in this regard. During the concert the pledge of the Stand-up Campaign against Poverty was read. There was a bus offered by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology that held a computer lab where young users were trained in how to navigate for information via the internet. Egypt is committed to the measurable and time-bound MDGs adopted by 188 world leaders in September 2000. The eight goals aim to achieve a minimum level of development by 2015 in the areas of poverty and hunger, health, gender equality, basic education, and environmental sustainability.
