Ras al Soda is one of the poorest districts in Alexandria. It is the sort of place where the dogs compete with the goats and the humans to retrieve and re-use what can be retrieved from the ubiquitous piles of other people’s rubbish. Its narrow unmade streets are dark with foreboding. Its multi-occupancy tenements seem unwelcoming and there is a general air of menace.
In this unlikely setting, The Anglican Church in Egypt has managed a family and community development Centre for over twenty years; one of six in the country, all overseen by Hanaa who is taking me to see it. It is a beacon of life, safety and hope in a dark place full of seemingly hopeless lives. With large numbers of people often together, perhaps in a single room in which all the living has to be done, aspiration means having a screen for your toilet.
The people who live here are poor Egyptians who have migrated north from Upper Egypt in search of work. Many of the men find work on construction sites. Divorce is common. The culture of Upper Egypt means there are often four or five children in the family group. The people come from relatively closed communities and villages. Literacy is low. Inherited disabilities such as deafness, are common. The need is obvious.
The Centre welcomes everyone regardless of religion or circumstances. There are programmes for children which check their health and nutrition, and some basic health care is available. Children are sometimes given a spoon of molasses every day when they attend. But beyond that, families are taught to value their children, and especially, counter culturally, to value their daughters. The My Dear Daughter programme has been the entrée to the centre for families whose once small children are returning as young adults to help as volunteers. Issues around female health are addressed, FGM is challenged and issues around abuse and safeguarding are taken very seriously.
One seven-year-old girl became something of a celebrity when, having attended the course, she bit the hand of a teacher in her school who she felt was touching her inappropriately. Her mother and the headmaster were involved subsequently but the girl stood her ground, and the teacher was disciplined. Her mother was proud of her daughter who was presented as evidence of the value of the teaching.
As we walk through the Centre, a literacy class for women is in full swing. One woman is telling the story of how her husband was so jealous of her new-found ability to read and write that he starting attending classes and he too now has basic literacy. At the end of the story everyone claps. This is a very supportive environment, and participants speak of it as a family. Along the way a children’s group is learning the English names for parts of the body.
I hear the stories of women and families who have taken advantage of the micro loans available through the Centre. One has started a street food stall; another a small business making crochet patterns on curtains, and yet another whose family has bought a tuk tuk ‘taxi’ of the kind seen all over this part of the city. Proper research is completed before any loans are made. Business advice is also provided, as are on-going advice and support as the new business is monitored. There is a 94% repayment rate and many small businesses to show for this initiative. Vocational training for men and women helps to give a basis for future ambitions. Many gifts have been discovered. Some craft items are made for sale in the cathedral shop.
The pre-school is a burst of light and activity. Parents pay a small fee to enable them to maintain the dignity of purchasing something rather than having to rely on hand-outs.. On the same site there is the Church of Jesus the King, which has its own programmes, specifically for the Christian families who attend. Their Pastor, Father Mina has been here seven years and loves it. He says there is a warmth here among the people and a generosity that is not always found in other places.
The church cares for 250 families, with a total of around 1300 people. A recent Sunday School celebration event attracted 350 children and 140 adults. The area is 60% Christian. He runs a programme specifically for couples. Its aim is to enhance relationships based on Bible teaching, and he has some 24 people involved at present.
Later, the Dean of the pro cathedral and Area Dean of Alexandria, Fr David Aziz tells me that many young men have left the area to make illegal crossings in small boats to Europe. You could see why that might be superficially attractive, but he wants to be able to give them a reason to stay and highlights the need for more work with these young people. Also, he says that because small business owners (particularly tuk tuk drivers) have to work very long hours to make their business pay, they are tempted to take drugs to help them stay awake, and then they become addicted. Unscrupulous employers are said to put tablets in the workers’ drinks to get more work out of them, with the same result.
Hanaa’s own enthusiasm is matched by the school group now heartily singing the action song: heads shoulders knees and toes. She hopes that the work can expand in Ras al Soda. A piece of land has been bought close to the existing site, and we join in prayer for the future growth of the project. As ever, funding is difficult. Only one charity (Embrace the Middle East) is currently involved as a partner. The grants that used to be given for small home improvements (like the toilet screen) can no longer be offered. The one essential ingredient for the Centre: committed enthusiastic loving Christian service shows no sign of running out.
Posted 30/10/2023