SEKEM‘s Journal for Economy, Culture, and Society in Egypt SEKEM Insight Nr. 80 - April 2009 Dear Readers, Projects Education Events Successful Closure of Community School Stuttgart Delegation after three years one of the 13-Villages-Project Provides Opportunities Visits SEKEM SEKEM’s biggest projects co- financed with its European partners has come to a suc- cessful end. The 13-Villages- SEKEM Successfully Concludes Project, as it was unofficially called, was closed by the end 13-Villages-Project of 2008. The extensive final report will reach its largest donor, the European Union, these days. The report demonstrates how important the project has been for the people in SEKEM’s closest neighbour community, Gelfina, and its adjacent villages and ham- lets. Thousands of benefici- aries have benefited directly from the services and prod- ucts of the intervention and thousands will continue to profit from it in the future. This is because most of the activities will be continued thanks to the ongoing sup- port of the SEKEM Devel- opment Foundation and its Villagers - men and women - have been coming together in Community Development Associations to participate in German support associa- the development of their villages and hamlets for more than three years tion. By the end of 2008 the SEKEM of life and work of a part of Egypt’s Based on the final report this Development Foundation (SDF), rural population in lasting ways. issue of SEKEM Insight offers SEKEM’s non-profit association for Thanks to the ongoing support of you a review of some of the social and cultural development in its European partner organisations project’s final achievements. Egypt has completed one of its big- almost all of the activities carried It also demonstrates how gest projects ever: the three-year out in the framework of the project relevant its activities have 13-Villages-Project. The project is will be continued in the future. been for the development finally being concluded these days The project was situated in SEKEM’s of the SEKEM initiative. They when the last report is sent to the closest rural community, the village have increased SEKEM’s European Union, its major donor of Gelfina, and its 12 neighbouring global reputation as a part- together with SEKEM’s German sup- hamlets. Here the 13-Villages-Project ner in social development. port association. supported by SEKEM’s own social Your Editors Since 2006 the project has kicked workers initially began to organ- off numerous material, financial, ise group meetings of community and social development activities elders and villagers to raise aware- that have shaped the circumstances ness of the importance of central Page 1 issues of their communities’ devel- affected the desperate economic mobile waste removal system avail- opment in sustainable ways. This situation of their families could also able to all 2.000 households of the included for instance consultancy positively influence a new compo- communities. It was planned to on personal hygiene and sani- nent of the project: families that allow them to regularly have their tary precautions, appropriate han- had to cover parts of their income solid wastes removed and trans- dling of domesticated animals, or through the work of their children ported to a designated site where the dumping of wastes carried out had to be specifically supported. they could be sorted and recy- by medically trained personnel and 100 of the children known as cled. Initially these sites had to be professional “outreach teams”. The “Chamomile Children” received the selected and technical facilities to SDF used local community spaces - chance to participate in a compre- be purchased that would then pro- schools, village mosques - for these hensive basic education programme vide the necessary means to sort meetings. More than a hundred of over the course of the project dura- and eventually hydraulically com- them took place over the course tion. It covered conventional school pact the collected waste that could of three years. Particular attention subjects such as mathematics and at not be recycled. Here, too, many was paid by the workers of the SDF’s the same time provided advanced villagers found work in the project Medical Centre to the situation of tuition in cultural, social, and artis- that is scheduled to remain availa- pregnant women before and right tic topics combined with practical ble after its closure. after childbirth. The specialists also exercise. Where necessary the chil- A 65-horsepower tractor and trailer provided consultancy on topics such dren could also participate in a lit- turned out to be an unusual but as sexual hygiene and female geni- eracy programme and a scheme appropriate solution to the chal- tal mutilation (FGM). To reach the dedicated to preventing diseases lenge. Until this day the tractor reg- women affected the medical teams and improving their general well- ularly picks up wastes and has even visited the villages and brought with being. They were examined by staff replaced the custom of manually them information material, often in from the SDF Medical Centre every collecting garbage by using donkey pictorial form to specifically address three months. carts. those who could not read or write. A literacy programme was also avail- The teams visited the villages once The SDF also built a small bio pre- able to the more than 600 women a month and also offered a compre- treatment plant for the treatment of the villagers who could not read hensive basic medical examination of liquid waste (used water) from or write. A class was created specifi- for disease prevention to many vil- the households. The plant allows cally for them in Belbeis in coopera- lagers. Over the course of several the treatment of moderately pol- tion with a local education provider. dozen sessions the programme has luted waters and recycles them for successfully reached approximately The project moreover achieved use in the irrigation of fields and vil- 8.800 inhabitants of the communi- results in expanding education lage gardens. This action has greatly ties. Additionally more than 3.400 opportunities for young Egyptians improved the availability of water pregnant women were regularly about to leave school and choose for agriculture and the embellish- examined at the SDF Medical Centre. vocations. Two new vocational train- ment of the villages themselves. ing tracks have been launched in The system that is already in use The programme also included the “Computer Maintenance and Repair” for solid waste removal was thus ongoing education schemes for 11 and “Professional Plumbing”. The refitted with a mobile tank and has new and seasoned midwives from curricula were developed during the turned out to be double effective. the area as well as of 17 social work- first year and more than 120 gradu- ers from various medical fields. The last component of the project ates have successfully completed Each of the two groups took part implemented a micro-finance the tracks to date. Remarkably, a in more than a dozen further edu- scheme available to all villagers with surprisingly large number of them cation sessions on topics of general a promising business idea. It also set were girls - also in the technical public health with a specific empha- out to improve the decision-mak- fields. sis of reproductive health issues. ing and planning structures on the In the areas of environmental pro- community level of rural improve- The comprehensive experience of tection and community devel- the SDF in the support extended opment an expert developed a to children still f r e q u e n t l y sustainable concept to implement a Page 2 ment programmes developed by Associations (CDA’s). This way the turned out to be great successes. the inhabitants themselves. results achieved should also grow The SDF is already working on new sustainable roots. Seven rural com- proposals to make the results last In cooperation with Egyptian part- mittees could be installed that today such as new ways to improve the ners the SDF developed concepts serve as platforms for the planning water supply in the villages that are for the financing of small businesses. of local development initiatives. The particularly remote to public supply More than 220 loans could be dis- villagers can now take full owner- systems. bursed to applicants from a wide ship in the achievements of activ- variety of professions with more Bijan Kafi ities such as the waste removal than 1 Mio. Egyptian Pounds (ca. system. 125.000 €) disbursed as loans in Images on this page: Chamomile total - a great success also in light of Thanks to the excellent cooperation children during class; Women the near-optimal repayment rates. with the German support associa- taking part in a community tion and its future-oriented initia- meeting; loan recipients in the On the community level the SDF and tive during the planning phase of the micro-finance programme in its cooperation partners furthered their shops (master craftsman, project almost all activities the inauguration of local Community reseller of seeds, shoemaker); a D e v e l o p m e n t renovated community school. Preceding page from left to right: participants of a community meeting; female pupils during a vocational training class; biological water pre-treatment plant; loan recipient in her shop SEKEM Helps Provide Carbon-Neutral Gas to Parts of Germany The Technische Werke Schussental (TWS), a German regional provider of energy with its headquarters in Ravensburg has begun to offer CO2-neutral gas with the help of SEKEM. Following the motto „Think glo- bal, act local“ the TWS pur- chases certified CO2-certificates from a climate protection pro- gramme launched by the initi- ative. The German supplier is responding to customer requests and has begun to offer the prod- uct “Oberschwabengas” (“Gas for Upper Swabia”) in a CO2-neutral form in the entire counties of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria.