SEKEM, 2nd of February, 2011
Dear Friends, Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and good wishes, being of real support for us in these times! Obviously in Egypt some long-due change lies ahead right now. Unfortunately, due to such a long period of political stagnation and inflexibility, transformation has to take place now through a crisis. However, it was far beyond imagination to have witnesses such an explosive situation here in Egypt, hitting everyone in the country completely by shock and surprise. We hope sincerely that the measures now taken by the government will be understood and accepted by the people. We deeply hope as well, that this window of opportunity will be seized, and used to implement the will of the people and build the foundation for a true renewal of the political landscape and society. Even if political developments are still unpredictable, the instable situation we faced together with our employees and the whole country in the last few days was mainly due to the limited deployment of the police force to secure law and order. In the meantime, police has been redeployed and we are relieved to witness the state of security in the city centre of Cairo improving continuously, and the shops and businesses opening for limited hours again. On the SEKEM farm and in our companies we could return to production with a major share of workers. There are still some challenges restricting our work at the University and Head Office, which will go back to normal only after internet access has been unblocked and the curfew lifted. In the coming times of change and rebuilding both economy and society, it will be of great urgency to create an effective impulse for sustainable development. We hope for, and count on your strong support to tackle the challenges ahead and help to build a better future for Egypt. Please send our warmest regards to all colleagues and friends, and rest assured that we are all safe and well. Best regards, Helmy Aboueleish and all SEKEM community