If Advent is a time for finding light in the darkness, then a good place to look for a beacon, in more ways than one, is Menouf in the Nile delta region of Egypt.
In Arabic, the word for ‘beacon’ is Menara, and Menara is the name chosen for a School for children with special needs which was opened there by the diocese of Egypt in 2003, one of very few in Egypt, and which has alread won an award for excellence.
Local culture dictates against any investment in people who are differently abled. It is regarded as shameful to have a child with special needs, and often those children are hidden away with no opportunity to participate even in a limited way in society. The Menouf area is relatively poor, and poorer families have even less access to help. Hence the Menara centre is a counter cultural investment which brings hope and new possibility to children with Down’s Syndrome and other learning difficulties; physical conditions such as cerebral palsy, and with autism. The Centre’s work not only helps individuals to develop but also helps the community to see such people in a new light – another beacon perhaps. It also runs courses helping parents to understand and cope with their children’s conditions.
There are currently 40 students, but the waiting list is at least 50. The Director, Mme Jeanette, says “it is more than I can count.” There is room on site for expansion, and it is hoped that as funds can be found for two more floors that can be added to the existing building. The site already contains two Anglican schools, one Arabic and one English language, with around 1500 students between them. Trainers for the teachers have been brought in from the UK from time to time. The staff student ratio is around 6 students per teacher, and a lot of work is done individually on a one-to-one basis. Each student has their own learning plan. Groups are not composed on an age basis but on the basis of which ‘milestones’ have been achieved in the plans.
The key aim is to achieve as much independence as possible for each individual. This involves teaching basic personal hygiene management, basic number and speaking skills, social interaction skills and other life-enhancing abilities. Initially much of the teaching is tactile because few new students speak. One item on the wish list is for a sensory room. The Centre also provides physiotherapy and speech therapy
Making bracelets, earrings and candles is both therapeutic and fundraising. These are sold in church bazaars and, because they are easily transportable, are often taken in bulk by visitors to be sold in churches in other parts of the world. Rebecca, a Canadian graduate in International Relations, and the daughter of missionaries, whose husband works as a doctor in the Harpur Hospital is a volunteer at the Centre. She often accompanies visitors and says that invariably they comment on the happy atmosphere of the Centre, using words like joy, peace and fun to describe their experience there. The most common response is,
This is a really special place.
Menara is a ministry of the Diocese of Egypt. Families pay tuition fees, which helps towards costs, but poorer families have subsidies. Mission agencies, especially CMS are among other funders, as well as the Diocese itself. Sponsorship of individual children is encouraged.
If you would like to support the work of the Diocese of Egypt, you can donate here