CAIRO - Volunteers in Action (VIA) community, a group of AUC students, will hold a charitable campaigns' party to mark a new charitable year on October 21 in Basely Hall, on the new AUC campus. Hamza Namira, a young singer, and Maqam band, one of the new underground bands, will be performing. This party will be held in addition to the annual charity concert which is usually held in Ewart Hall, attended by Egyptian VIPs, parents of students and fans of Omar Khayrat, who is always the main star at the VIA concert. This annual concert is one of VIA's biggest events, which normally attracts an audience of 1,500, with all the profits going to help orphans and other underprivileged people. VIA is a community service club that aims to make a difference in the life of the underprivileged layer of the community, particularly by helping orphans and developing districts in need. It is currently working to help the residents of the Meet Oqba and Basateen districts of Greater Cairo. This is done mainly by providing them with both financial and psychological support, as well as developing their personalities and capabilities. To accomplish their goals they have launched five programmes: housing and supplies, micro-projects, literacy, junior development, and a children's programmes. The projects so far have been extremely successful, but there's always more to accomplish. The main target for the VIA community is to put smiles on the orphans' faces and give them the care they need. VIA does this by organising an annual wedding party for a number of orphans, while also providing them with the things they need to start married life. In addition to this, they also visit various orphanages every week, to instill some happiness into the orphans' hearts. The community also holds an annual project to improve awareness about orphanages. VIA this year is focusing on a number of campaigns and projects that will benefit orphans, starting with a group wedding party next month. Within the programme of orphans' development, VIA will launch its programme for orphanage development on March 2012. This programme won't just make the orphans smile, as it is also a chance to upgrade the orphanages they live in by painting the walls and providing orphans with necessities such as mattresses, blankets and beds. In closing the charitable year, VIA will hold an orphans' fair in April 2012, where the orphans will get to flaunt their talents by selling their handmade crafts. The fair will also include ‘Orphans' got talent', an event which will allow the children to get up on stage and show off their acting skills, something the audience always loves.
