SEKEM Insight

SEKEM‘s Journal for Economy, Culture, and Society in Egypt

SEKEM Insight Nr. 79 - March 2009

Dear Readers, the subject of gender equality has been of central importance also for international actors in development cooperation. International organisations have launched programmes often within the frameworks of global initiatives that support the topic in developing countries. The programmes of the European Union contain a so-called “horizontal aspect” reflecting the importance its organisations place on the issue in their funding going to NGO’s implementing projects globally.

With the implementation of the GEME-Approach that we introduce to our readers in this issue of SEKEM Insight SEKEM joins the ranks of the pro-active members actively working for the implementation of the concept. It has also created a steering committee to oversee its performance.

The approach initially covers the work environments and therefore highlights economic aspects. This is because gender equality is also relevant to developing countries for reasons of economic prosperity. SEKEM Insight will report on the development of the project in one of its forthcoming issues.

Your Editors

Enterprises

Social

Events

Production Quality at Naturetex

Equal Opportunities for Men and Women

Annual Member Convention

Naturetex Making Big Steps to Improve Quality, Workflows

Egyptian co-workers at Naturetex check every step of the production process on modern machines

Co-workers at SEKEM’s textiles company Naturetex are hard at work improving production processes for garments and fabrics in terms of quality and the production workflow. They have also begun an extensive training programme directed at all co-workers in the firm. The independent Egyptian consulting agency Gherzy had surveyed Naturetex’ production processes last December and had presented its report soon after. The redesign processes could already start the following January and several projects have since been launched to further improve the quality of the firm’s various production areas.

In the meantime first results have not only become tangible but measurable. The flow of unfinished products through the facilities has become easier to manage and is now running frictionless from department to department across boundaries of competence. Those departments processing textiles could be structured in a clear and coordinated way - a great challenge for a firm like Naturetex that not only produces a single product like T-Shirts but a great number of different items like bodies for babies, pyjamas and sweat shirts, pants and accessoires. This is highly unusual for the textiles industry.

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But the new restructuring processes start even earlier down the production chain at Naturetex: the rolls of fabrics being delivered to its gates are first individually weighed to register their weight per square metre and avoid differences in the weight of the material resulting in any irregularities in the touch of the final cloth. The fabric is then checked for weaving or knitting errors through a time-consuming verification process examining the material metre by metre according to a newly introduced „4-Point-System“ establishing clear categories for quality deviations. By adding the resulting control points the quality of the fabric can be safely assessed and later compared. The production process is thus optimised already at the stage of cutting and flaws in the fabric can be eliminated early on.

All flawed pieces are then quickly replaced after the cutting and preparation process which is followed by the measuring of the material. This allows to pinpoint measuring errors equally early in the production process of the individual pieces.

“Traffic lights” have been introduced into the production process itself consisting of flags placed at each of the sewing machines. They quickly designate the easier, moderately, and highly difficult steps in the sewing process. All assigned quality control offers are advised to specifically attend to those sewing machines flagged “red”.

The quality control officers at all lines have also been supplied with

Professional training of co-workers at Naturetex

desks on wheels to facilitate their work. All current information leaflets are available here and the officers in charge can flexibly supervise all lines and at the same time maintain oversight over the entire production process. The officers at the end of each line now also bear the responsibility to check the general measurements of each finished products. 15% of all parts are measured in full. Measuring errors can thus be located before packaging.

Additional checks also guarantee that all quality control officers are able to fulfil their duties. Co-worker trainings have been introduced to complement these measures and additional training in team collaboration is available, among others, through eurythmy courses.

The replacement of one quality standard by another (from IVN to GOTS) as well as all values concerning shrinking of fabrics, tolerance levels for striped patterns and of seams etc. have also been introduced into the reworked Naturetex Standards. Another professional education project to instruct all coworkers on the standard is about to begin soon.

Konstanze Abouleish

Annual Member Convention The „SEKEM Friends“ from Germany will again host their “SEKEM Day” on Saturday, 23 May 2009 in Stuttgart.

Aside from the annual members’ assembly of the German support association the day will also include reports on recent developments in SEKEM, an artistic performance, a speech by Dr. Abouleish on the topic of „No sustainable development of mankind without art“ and an introduction into the principles and goals of SEKEM. As every year the setting will allow for extensive dialogue among visitors and will be complemented by an exhibition and the possibility to try and purchase SEKEM products. The “SEKEM Day” will take place at the “RudolfSteiner-House”, Zur Uhlandshöhe 10 in Stuttgart and begins at 14.00h.

SEKEM Launches Gender Equality Project

The new project‘s steering committee

The project „One Business Community, Equal Opportunity“ began on 8 December 2008 and runs until June 2009. The eleven members of the steering committee now met for their general assembly to plan for the coming project phases.

On the occasion of the meeting SEKEM also appointed its new Officer for Gender Equality, Mrs. Samaa Shehab. The chief topic on the agenda was the ratification of a survey on the self assessment of coworkers at SEKEM’s individual firms.

On the basis of a detailed questionnaire a new training programme will be developed that address the work environments of all of SEKEM’s employees at the Egyptian facilities.

The development of the course content will begin these coming weeks.

The specific “Gender Equality Model Egypt” (GEME) being used by the project is founded on an initiative by the Ministry of Investments and is executed in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Manpower and Immigration. It is financed by the Worldbank and implemented by the United Nations „Fund For Women (UNIFEM)“ and the NGO ICRW. The founding organisations acknowledge the need for the inclusion of the gender perspective and a

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culture of equity specifically in private organizations and based on the possibility of women and men having access, on equal terms, to the production and distribution of goods and services.

The objective of this model is to develop, promote, and encourage gender equity in private firms. the aim is to institutionalize gender equity policies and facilitate equal opportunities for men and women in access to jobs, working conditions, as well as professional development, training, and participation in decision-making processes.

GEME was defined with a management systems focus and seeks to enable ongoing improvement and self-assessment as well as the identification and reduction of gaps that may exist between men and women in the workplace through the application of measures that favour equal opportunities.

GEME strengthens the “value added” that is offered by the adoption of the Gender Equity Model including the optimization of human resources to increase efficiency and competitiveness and the promotion of good personal relationships in workplaces where men and women with different skills, perspectives, and working styles can contribute to reaching the organization’s goals and meeting their personal needs. It also underlines the benefits resulting from the creation of greater commitment and loyalty by workers, and the public being able to differentiate participating firms’ products and services as being associated with a commitment to gender equity in the workplace. This is to be achieved through the use of a “gender equity seal” available to enterprise to be used in conjunction with the marketing of their products and services.

The project is currently in development at SEKEM and SEKEM Insight will report on its progress in one of its future issues.

Samaa Shehab

SEKEM Inaugurates New Community School The SEKEM Development Foundation on 1 September 2008 opened the doors to its “Community School”, a new concept for opening up elementary school education to the Chamomile Children between the age of 10 and 14. With this group of disadvantaged youngsters the project addresses those children that due to their social status cannot normally enjoy primary education services or have to prematurely abort school attendance due to the economic needs of their families.

65 children will now be able to graduate with a primary education certificate through this officially registered school. To achieve this goal SEKEM has created small classes with a maximum of 16 pupils to allow for highly individualised care provided by four male and female teachers and one social worker taking care of their health and social needs. The social workers also keeps in close contact with their families.

At the Community School most pupils for the first time experience the opportunity to attend and graduate from school without fear of failure in tests or stressful final exams.

The curriculum is comprised of subjects like Arabic, mathematics, religion, art, and English. So far 21 girls and boys have been granted access to the new institution.

The older pupils at the age of 15 or 16 will continue to receive literacy training courses to allow them to obtain a fully recognised certificate.

The certificate will then allow them to enter professional vocational training at SEKEM or elsewhere. The teachers that have been recruited for the new school have been trained by experienced instructors from the SEKEM School itself.

SEKEM wishes to specifically thank the Dutch support association for its generous contribution in making the new school possible.

Impressions from SEKEM

Parliamentary Secretary of State Dr. Gerd Müller and his wife Gerti Müller-Hoorens visit SEKEM

The German Parliamentary Secretary of State Dr. Gerd Müller and his wife Gerti Müller-Hoorens together with several representatives of his staff visited SEKEM on 4 February 2009. SEKEM has come to be a well-known destination also among representatives of the German government as it represents a model for innovative economic practice and applied sustainability.

The initiative has already received several official visitors from a variety of government institutions over the past years. The German delegation was also accompanied by a representative of „Germany Trade and Invest“, an agency aiming at improving economic ties and contacts between Egypt and Germany.

Imprint: Publisher: SEKEM, Egypt The editorial team of SEKEM Insight would like to thank all correspondents who have contributed to this edition.

Editors: Christina Boecker Bijan Kafi Contact: SEKEM-Insight c/o Sekem Holding P.O.Box 2834 El Horreya, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt

Yvonne Floride

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