A SOUTH African woman called Sophia Vermeulen has reacted generously to a story that appeared on Page 2 of the Egyptian Mail, the weekly edition of The Egyptian Gazette last week about a poor old Egyptian man, who earns LE2 a day and sleeps on the pavement in Islamic Cairo after his wife and their only son died a few years ago. Sophia, an executive secretary with a well-known South-African company, came all the way from Johannesburg to help Amm Mohamed with an undisclosed sum of money in the hope that it will make his life better for some time. With the help of an Egyptian policeman, Sophia met with Amm Mohamed outside el-Hussein Mosque in Islamic Cairo and kindly gave him the money, which he accepted with gratitude and prayers. She said that the Egyptian Mail's story about Amm Mohamed had deeply touched her heart. "How can a sick man like Mohamed live on just two pounds a day after his wife and child? I am very happy that, with this small sum of money, I have made a small difference in his life. It will not change his life dramatically, but at least it will make him happy for a few days," Sophia, who was trying to fight back the tears, said before heading to the airport to catch her flight home to Johannesburg. Amm Mohamed was so touched by Sophia's help that he could not find enough words to express his thanks and happiness. "All that I can say: May God bless you and the people like you," he told his benefactor through an interpreter.
