CAIRO: Amid the noisy, dilapidated buildings and garbage-filled streets in Old Cairo, at the squatter settlement of Ezbet Khairallah, a beacon of hope takes form in a community center, helping the area's children and youth. The community center is built by Plan; one of the largest child-centered community development organizations in the world. Working in 66 countries, Plan's projects and initiatives address the causes of poverty and its consequences on childrens' lives. Five young people have been working on several development projects in their district, Ezbet Khairallah. "I'm working on the gender project, in which we examine gender-related issues here and try to reform them, said Asmaa El-Sayed, 15. She cited double standards among parents, who only send their sons to school while keeping their daughters at home. Rania Reyad Amar, 18, is helping integrate street children into society. "All they need is someone to listen to...we have to work on [altering their perception] of the society they fear tremendously, she said. Ismail El-Sayed, 17, has been working on building the library at Plan's community center, which now has over 100 books. Plan has been in Egypt since 1981, under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, working with more than 40 community development associations in Cairo, Giza, Qaliubiya, Alexandria, Assiut and Beheira. Their main focus is on education, child rights, health, potable water, basic sanitation, birth registration, support for food production and income generation. Overall, Plan's mission is to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of underprivileged children in developing countries, and helping them realize their full potential. Youth speak out In Egypt and the world, Plan is creating youth media initiatives that give young people a chance to express themselves. These initiatives include the production of media programs representing child-related issues. Participants choose the topics, analyze them and offer their opinion. Plan started as an initiative to raise awareness of child rights in Egypt in 2006 in partnership with the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, Al Karma Edutainment and international partners Nokia and the Swedish International Development Agency. "Our main goal from this initiative is to raise awareness of child rights on the national level, influence decision makers to take action towards protecting the Egyptian child, Mohamed Kamal, media coordination at Plan Egypt, said. The first step is holding workshops to develop the skills of children and young adults, aged 12 to 21. They are taught leadership, negotiation, group work as well as media skills, which include directing, scriptwriting and presenting. Another project is "Esma'oona (Hear Us Out), a weekly program on terrestrial state TV in which children from the youth media center discuss issues such as child abuse, gender equality, street children and education. Sixty-four episodes of "Esma'oona were aired from January 2008 to January 2009. The show won two silver awards at the 19th Cairo International Film Festival for Children which was held this year under the slogan "What do Children Want? It was also awarded by the Animation and Television Union in Europe as the second best program to present child rights. "People now take us seriously after they've seen the show. It convinced parents to send their children here [Plan's community centers] and participate in our activities. Also the officials were able to see the problems in our community and how it is affecting us so it encourages them to take action, explains Amar, one of the show's participants. The children did everything from A to Z on the show. "It's a show by the children and for the children, Kamal said. The initiative also encourages community theater, in which the children present their problems in a skit or a play in order to motivate people to take action against prevailing social problems. "The children were trained beforehand on theatrical skills and how to use things around them as props and how to do a lot with so little resources available, Kamal said. One of the theater's advantages is that it can be performed anywhere and not necessarily on a stage, he added. Starting small Plan is also keen on establishing community centers in impoverished areas. The centers don't have to be spacious and state-of-the-art community centers, but can simply be a room equipped with a computer, internet access, art material, musical instruments, etc. The objective is to have a place where children in underprivileged areas and rural villages can meet and engage in group activities. Plan's projects also include "technology for development, in which children are taught how to use the technologies available at the centers to help their communities. "For example since they have a camera and a computer, they can use it to go out and shoot a garbage or sewage problem in the area, come back and do the editing then send the tape to local authorities, explained Kamal, stressing that they always have to present not only the problem but a solution as well. Despite their harsh surroundings, Plan's young participants are optimistic that their conditions are only temporary and are confident that the initiative can help change the world.
