146.5mm FLAP
148.5mm BACK
Challenge and change in Egypt
Real progress
Egypt has been going through a process of constitutional reform over the last year. Plan is waiting to see how the reforms will affect the communities where we work.
With the support of Plan, children and adults in Egypt are working together to develop their communities and claim their right to a better future. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:
Together, families and Plan are striving to improve children’s education, healthcare, sanitation, access to clean water and to training in skills for the future. Children’s rights are our priority, and we took part in successful initiatives this year to prevent violence against children – particularly female genital cutting – and to promote birth registration. Our achievements result from our partnerships – with government, other development agencies, families, children and sponsors. As Amir Abdelfattah, Acting Country Director says, these “support our development initiatives towards enabling children to realise their potential.” In this Country Progress Report we look at one project where we have been successful in doing just that.
• Holding awareness sessions for over 9,000 people to teach them about children’s early years and highlight the importance of early learning and nursery schools
Egypt country facts Capital: Cairo
People without adequate sanitation: 42%
UN Human Development Index ranking: 111th (of 177 countries)
Women who cannot read or write: 41%
People living on less than 1 US dollar a day: 3%
(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)
• Improving sanitation for over 1,000 families by upgrading or constructing domestic toilets
by offering vocational training in activities like hairdressing and weaving
• Supporting children in producing over 200 newsletters and wall-charts, enabling them to express their views on community issues.
So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!
EGY
Any enquiries please contact: Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.com m: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150 Size (Prod)
Colours(Prod)
Art (A/D)
Egypt
• Giving over 760 women the opportunity to earn extra income for their families
Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035
Admagic No: Bright No: Client name: File name: Date: Size: Studio proof:
p Plan is he lping to bring clean water an sanitation to d improved poor commun ities in Egypt
Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effort combining the hard work and determination of communities, children, volunteers, staff, and partner organisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.
p Children’s parliame nts like this one in Cair o are an excellent way children to become awa for re and lobby for their righ ts
Population: 76.5 million
148.5mm FRONT
0407 100647 PLAN 0407_Egypt 13.11.07 210x443.5mm FOLD TO A5 Client proof: 2 3 Copy (C/W)
Content (Acc.)
Country Progress Report 2007
146.5mm FLAP
148.5mm BACK
Challenge and change in Egypt
Real progress
Egypt has been going through a process of constitutional reform over the last year. Plan is waiting to see how the reforms will affect the communities where we work.
With the support of Plan, children and adults in Egypt are working together to develop their communities and claim their right to a better future. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:
Together, families and Plan are striving to improve children’s education, healthcare, sanitation, access to clean water and to training in skills for the future. Children’s rights are our priority, and we took part in successful initiatives this year to prevent violence against children – particularly female genital cutting – and to promote birth registration. Our achievements result from our partnerships – with government, other development agencies, families, children and sponsors. As Amir Abdelfattah, Acting Country Director says, these “support our development initiatives towards enabling children to realise their potential.” In this Country Progress Report we look at one project where we have been successful in doing just that.
• Holding awareness sessions for over 9,000 people to teach them about children’s early years and highlight the importance of early learning and nursery schools
Egypt country facts Capital: Cairo
People without adequate sanitation: 42%
UN Human Development Index ranking: 111th (of 177 countries)
Women who cannot read or write: 41%
People living on less than 1 US dollar a day: 3%
(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)
• Improving sanitation for over 1,000 families by upgrading or constructing domestic toilets
by offering vocational training in activities like hairdressing and weaving
• Supporting children in producing over 200 newsletters and wall-charts, enabling them to express their views on community issues.
So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!
EGY
Any enquiries please contact: Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.com m: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150 Size (Prod)
Colours(Prod)
Art (A/D)
Egypt
• Giving over 760 women the opportunity to earn extra income for their families
Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035
Admagic No: Bright No: Client name: File name: Date: Size: Studio proof:
p Plan is he lping to bring clean water an sanitation to d improved poor commun ities in Egypt
Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effort combining the hard work and determination of communities, children, volunteers, staff, and partner organisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.
p Children’s parliame nts like this one in Cair o are an excellent way children to become awa for re and lobby for their righ ts
Population: 76.5 million
148.5mm FRONT
0407 100647 PLAN 0407_Egypt 13.11.07 210x443.5mm FOLD TO A5 Client proof: 2 3 Copy (C/W)
Content (Acc.)
Country Progress Report 2007
148.5mm INSIDE
Acceptance and respect in Cairo Like 16-year-old boys the world over, Ahmed likes nothing more than being with his mates, chasing a football around a makeshift pitch. “He’s very fond of practising sports, especially soccer,” says Reda, his mother, proudly.
Reda has more reason than most mothers to take pride in Ahmed’s achievements; he is deaf and has cerebral palsy. “When Ahmed was four, a doctor treating him said the only thing he would be able to do was eat and sleep,” recalls Reda. Twelve years later, he is happy to be proving the doctor wrong. Ahmed and Reda live in Eastern Cairo, Egypt’s capital. Many families here are living below the poverty line. Children are extremely vulnerable, and those with disabilities even more so. For some families, a child with a disability is a burden they cannot afford. For others, disability brings shame and exclusion from their community. Every year, children are abandoned in the streets or locked away, out of sight at home. Reda knows what it feels like to be ostracised. She remembers: “Our neighbours didn’t greet us or allow their children to play with Ahmed.”
p An animated discussion betwe en Ahmed and his mother (in sign language!)
Equal opportunities For years, it seemed as if nothing would change. Then, in 2003, Plan began to work with Reda’s community on a longterm project to break down the stigma surrounding disability and help the community give disabled children the same opportunities as their peers. Unlike more traditional medical or institutional approaches to disability in Egypt, Child-Focused Community-Based Rehabilitation – or CBR as the project is known – is based on the premise that
148.5mm INSIDE
children with disabilities are best cared for and encouraged to thrive within their own families and communities. Funded by Plan and the European Commission and run in partnership with expert agencies, CBR promotes integration, following the belief that communities are stronger and more successful when they include everyone – even their most vulnerable members – in their long-term progress. The project is managed by a committed team of local people, including mothers of disabled children and health professionals, who are trained to work with families affected by disability and their neighbours to bring disabled children back into the heart of the community.
For some families, a child with a disability is a burden they cannot afford. For others, disability brings shame and exclusion from their community. To achieve this, the team offers a range of services, from physical and speech therapy to help disabled children live as independently as possible, to organising social events like camps so that children can play together and get to know each other, whether disabled or not.
Reda joined the team two years ago. “I wanted to share my knowledge with other mothers who are in the same situation as me,” she explains. Like the other team members, she combines a wealth of personal experience with the advantage of being a familiar face to many families in the neighbourhood, a balance that has won acceptance and respect from the community. Gradually, the barriers between families coping with disability and their neighbours are breaking down. Last year, the team organised its first annual campaign, an event on the theme of “accessibility.” Working with local volunteers, mothers and disabled children, team members planned a number of activities for the day, including a puppet show, drawing, singing and dancing. Around 350 people from the local and neighbouring community came to join in the fun and share their thoughts on the event’s theme. For Reda, the day was a fantastic opportunity for children and adults, disabled or not to mix and work together to plan a more inclusive future. “It was a wonderful experience,” she says. “I had the chance to learn so much.”
146.5mm INSIDE
Learning for the future Learning is at the heart of the CBR project, and it’s an approach Plan strongly believes in. Experience shows us that people living in the world’s poorest areas want to be taught how to develop their communities for themselves. p Drawing is one of the activit ies the CBR project promotes for As Reda comments: “We need disabled children to help our children to ask for their “We need to help our children to rights and never expect charity. It’s like the saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, but ask for their rights and never teach me how to fish.’” expect charity. It’s like the With Plan’s support, mothers like Reda are learning the skills they need to take their ideas forward. This year the team has attended training courses on developing new business opportunities. With some of the local mothers, they have chosen jam-making and drying vegetables as a way of earning extra income. Disabled children have been involved from the start, accompanying the team to market to buy materials. “They really enjoy being taken into consideration and being included in the community,” says Reda.
saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, but teach me how to fish.’” For Reda, seeing the change in her community is incentive enough to keep the project going. She’s seen parents who would have abandoned their children decide to care for them instead. She’s seen the fear and stigma attached to disability slowly vanish, and most importantly, she’s seen children like Ahmed achieve beyond all expectations. “Now he is treated like any other boy,” she says proudly. Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons.
148.5mm INSIDE
Acceptance and respect in Cairo Like 16-year-old boys the world over, Ahmed likes nothing more than being with his mates, chasing a football around a makeshift pitch. “He’s very fond of practising sports, especially soccer,” says Reda, his mother, proudly.
Reda has more reason than most mothers to take pride in Ahmed’s achievements; he is deaf and has cerebral palsy. “When Ahmed was four, a doctor treating him said the only thing he would be able to do was eat and sleep,” recalls Reda. Twelve years later, he is happy to be proving the doctor wrong. Ahmed and Reda live in Eastern Cairo, Egypt’s capital. Many families here are living below the poverty line. Children are extremely vulnerable, and those with disabilities even more so. For some families, a child with a disability is a burden they cannot afford. For others, disability brings shame and exclusion from their community. Every year, children are abandoned in the streets or locked away, out of sight at home. Reda knows what it feels like to be ostracised. She remembers: “Our neighbours didn’t greet us or allow their children to play with Ahmed.”
p An animated discussion betwe en Ahmed and his mother (in sign language!)
Equal opportunities For years, it seemed as if nothing would change. Then, in 2003, Plan began to work with Reda’s community on a longterm project to break down the stigma surrounding disability and help the community give disabled children the same opportunities as their peers. Unlike more traditional medical or institutional approaches to disability in Egypt, Child-Focused Community-Based Rehabilitation – or CBR as the project is known – is based on the premise that
148.5mm INSIDE
children with disabilities are best cared for and encouraged to thrive within their own families and communities. Funded by Plan and the European Commission and run in partnership with expert agencies, CBR promotes integration, following the belief that communities are stronger and more successful when they include everyone – even their most vulnerable members – in their long-term progress. The project is managed by a committed team of local people, including mothers of disabled children and health professionals, who are trained to work with families affected by disability and their neighbours to bring disabled children back into the heart of the community.
For some families, a child with a disability is a burden they cannot afford. For others, disability brings shame and exclusion from their community. To achieve this, the team offers a range of services, from physical and speech therapy to help disabled children live as independently as possible, to organising social events like camps so that children can play together and get to know each other, whether disabled or not.
Reda joined the team two years ago. “I wanted to share my knowledge with other mothers who are in the same situation as me,” she explains. Like the other team members, she combines a wealth of personal experience with the advantage of being a familiar face to many families in the neighbourhood, a balance that has won acceptance and respect from the community. Gradually, the barriers between families coping with disability and their neighbours are breaking down. Last year, the team organised its first annual campaign, an event on the theme of “accessibility.” Working with local volunteers, mothers and disabled children, team members planned a number of activities for the day, including a puppet show, drawing, singing and dancing. Around 350 people from the local and neighbouring community came to join in the fun and share their thoughts on the event’s theme. For Reda, the day was a fantastic opportunity for children and adults, disabled or not to mix and work together to plan a more inclusive future. “It was a wonderful experience,” she says. “I had the chance to learn so much.”
146.5mm INSIDE
Learning for the future Learning is at the heart of the CBR project, and it’s an approach Plan strongly believes in. Experience shows us that people living in the world’s poorest areas want to be taught how to develop their communities for themselves. p Drawing is one of the activit ies the CBR project promotes for As Reda comments: “We need disabled children to help our children to ask for their “We need to help our children to rights and never expect charity. It’s like the saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, but ask for their rights and never teach me how to fish.’” expect charity. It’s like the With Plan’s support, mothers like Reda are learning the skills they need to take their ideas forward. This year the team has attended training courses on developing new business opportunities. With some of the local mothers, they have chosen jam-making and drying vegetables as a way of earning extra income. Disabled children have been involved from the start, accompanying the team to market to buy materials. “They really enjoy being taken into consideration and being included in the community,” says Reda.
saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, but teach me how to fish.’” For Reda, seeing the change in her community is incentive enough to keep the project going. She’s seen parents who would have abandoned their children decide to care for them instead. She’s seen the fear and stigma attached to disability slowly vanish, and most importantly, she’s seen children like Ahmed achieve beyond all expectations. “Now he is treated like any other boy,” she says proudly. Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons.
148.5mm INSIDE
Acceptance and respect in Cairo Like 16-year-old boys the world over, Ahmed likes nothing more than being with his mates, chasing a football around a makeshift pitch. “He’s very fond of practising sports, especially soccer,” says Reda, his mother, proudly.
Reda has more reason than most mothers to take pride in Ahmed’s achievements; he is deaf and has cerebral palsy. “When Ahmed was four, a doctor treating him said the only thing he would be able to do was eat and sleep,” recalls Reda. Twelve years later, he is happy to be proving the doctor wrong. Ahmed and Reda live in Eastern Cairo, Egypt’s capital. Many families here are living below the poverty line. Children are extremely vulnerable, and those with disabilities even more so. For some families, a child with a disability is a burden they cannot afford. For others, disability brings shame and exclusion from their community. Every year, children are abandoned in the streets or locked away, out of sight at home. Reda knows what it feels like to be ostracised. She remembers: “Our neighbours didn’t greet us or allow their children to play with Ahmed.”
p An animated discussion betwe en Ahmed and his mother (in sign language!)
Equal opportunities For years, it seemed as if nothing would change. Then, in 2003, Plan began to work with Reda’s community on a longterm project to break down the stigma surrounding disability and help the community give disabled children the same opportunities as their peers. Unlike more traditional medical or institutional approaches to disability in Egypt, Child-Focused Community-Based Rehabilitation – or CBR as the project is known – is based on the premise that
148.5mm INSIDE
children with disabilities are best cared for and encouraged to thrive within their own families and communities. Funded by Plan and the European Commission and run in partnership with expert agencies, CBR promotes integration, following the belief that communities are stronger and more successful when they include everyone – even their most vulnerable members – in their long-term progress. The project is managed by a committed team of local people, including mothers of disabled children and health professionals, who are trained to work with families affected by disability and their neighbours to bring disabled children back into the heart of the community.
For some families, a child with a disability is a burden they cannot afford. For others, disability brings shame and exclusion from their community. To achieve this, the team offers a range of services, from physical and speech therapy to help disabled children live as independently as possible, to organising social events like camps so that children can play together and get to know each other, whether disabled or not.
Reda joined the team two years ago. “I wanted to share my knowledge with other mothers who are in the same situation as me,” she explains. Like the other team members, she combines a wealth of personal experience with the advantage of being a familiar face to many families in the neighbourhood, a balance that has won acceptance and respect from the community. Gradually, the barriers between families coping with disability and their neighbours are breaking down. Last year, the team organised its first annual campaign, an event on the theme of “accessibility.” Working with local volunteers, mothers and disabled children, team members planned a number of activities for the day, including a puppet show, drawing, singing and dancing. Around 350 people from the local and neighbouring community came to join in the fun and share their thoughts on the event’s theme. For Reda, the day was a fantastic opportunity for children and adults, disabled or not to mix and work together to plan a more inclusive future. “It was a wonderful experience,” she says. “I had the chance to learn so much.”
146.5mm INSIDE
Learning for the future Learning is at the heart of the CBR project, and it’s an approach Plan strongly believes in. Experience shows us that people living in the world’s poorest areas want to be taught how to develop their communities for themselves. p Drawing is one of the activit ies the CBR project promotes for As Reda comments: “We need disabled children to help our children to ask for their “We need to help our children to rights and never expect charity. It’s like the saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, but ask for their rights and never teach me how to fish.’” expect charity. It’s like the With Plan’s support, mothers like Reda are learning the skills they need to take their ideas forward. This year the team has attended training courses on developing new business opportunities. With some of the local mothers, they have chosen jam-making and drying vegetables as a way of earning extra income. Disabled children have been involved from the start, accompanying the team to market to buy materials. “They really enjoy being taken into consideration and being included in the community,” says Reda.
saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, but teach me how to fish.’” For Reda, seeing the change in her community is incentive enough to keep the project going. She’s seen parents who would have abandoned their children decide to care for them instead. She’s seen the fear and stigma attached to disability slowly vanish, and most importantly, she’s seen children like Ahmed achieve beyond all expectations. “Now he is treated like any other boy,” she says proudly. Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons.
146.5mm FLAP
148.5mm BACK
Challenge and change in Egypt
Real progress
Egypt has been going through a process of constitutional reform over the last year. Plan is waiting to see how the reforms will affect the communities where we work.
With the support of Plan, children and adults in Egypt are working together to develop their communities and claim their right to a better future. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:
Together, families and Plan are striving to improve children’s education, healthcare, sanitation, access to clean water and to training in skills for the future. Children’s rights are our priority, and we took part in successful initiatives this year to prevent violence against children – particularly female genital cutting – and to promote birth registration. Our achievements result from our partnerships – with government, other development agencies, families, children and sponsors. As Amir Abdelfattah, Acting Country Director says, these “support our development initiatives towards enabling children to realise their potential.” In this Country Progress Report we look at one project where we have been successful in doing just that.
• Holding awareness sessions for over 9,000 people to teach them about children’s early years and highlight the importance of early learning and nursery schools
Egypt country facts Capital: Cairo
People without adequate sanitation: 42%
UN Human Development Index ranking: 111th (of 177 countries)
Women who cannot read or write: 41%
People living on less than 1 US dollar a day: 3%
(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)
• Improving sanitation for over 1,000 families by upgrading or constructing domestic toilets
by offering vocational training in activities like hairdressing and weaving
• Supporting children in producing over 200 newsletters and wall-charts, enabling them to express their views on community issues.
So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!
EGY
Any enquiries please contact: Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.com m: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150 Size (Prod)
Colours(Prod)
Art (A/D)
Egypt
• Giving over 760 women the opportunity to earn extra income for their families
Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035
Admagic No: Bright No: Client name: File name: Date: Size: Studio proof:
p Plan is he lping to bring clean water an sanitation to d improved poor commun ities in Egypt
Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effort combining the hard work and determination of communities, children, volunteers, staff, and partner organisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.
p Children’s parliame nts like this one in Cair o are an excellent way children to become awa for re and lobby for their righ ts
Population: 76.5 million
148.5mm FRONT
0407 100647 PLAN 0407_Egypt 13.11.07 210x443.5mm FOLD TO A5 Client proof: 2 3 Copy (C/W)
Content (Acc.)
Country Progress Report 2007