MORE than 5,000 Egyptian children will flock to the foot of the Pyramids today in anticipation of Orphan's Day, which will be held the following Friday. The event is also meant to highlight the importance of Egypt's antiquities and to set a new Guinness world record. The event is being organised by the local charity Dar Al-Orman, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the Ministry of Social Solidarity and a group of Egyptian NGOs. According to Zahi Hawass, the Secretary- General of the SCA, one of the main objectives of the event is to stress that archaeological development is an essential component of development in general. "The Council wants to raise and deepen the archaeological awareness of citizens, particularly children and young people," Hawass told a press conference to launch the event. He added that he believed that such endeavours would help shape the personalities of Egyptian children, infusing in them a love of their country and a sense of belonging. Today's event begins at 4pm, when the children will stand in the shadow of the Great Pyramid, forming its shape. A representative from the Guinness Book of Records will be there, to witness the largest-ever gathering of children at the foot of the Great Pyramid. The organisers will, then, call on the world to recognise Egypt's Orphan's Day as World Orphan's Day. "We hope that Orphan's Day will become an international day, celebrated all over the world to boost the rights of those children," said Hossam el-Qabani, the head of Dar Al- Orman, whose idea it was for Egypt to celebrate the first Friday of every April as Orphan's Day. The Day was first celebrated in 2003. In 2006, the idea was presented at the Arab Social Affairs Ministries Conference which approved the day as Arab Orphan's Day.
