posted
I would like to do a little giving back to the poor while I am in Egypt. Can anyone tell me the names and addresses of some good orphanages or refugee charities in Cairo? Also since I can't pack a lot of items in my suitcase what and where could I buy some nice items for chilren near Nasr City? Most important can anyone tell me if it would be safe for me in the company of an Egyptian friend to go to Kilo Arbaa wa Nus to give out some things? Thank you.
Posts: 333 | From: USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Below is a letter that is sent out from a charity that I know to be reliable, insha Allah, describing how they help orphans. Their website id only in Arabic at the moment: http://www.mosaada.com/
Dear Brothers/ Sisters,
Do you want to gain Thawab and Sadaka Garia with no effort. so please help us in our charity projects. Help us to draw a smile on a face of a widow when she receive furniture for her small house, smile on a face of a small child when he receive a toy and clothes, and also smile on face of poor and orphan girl who is about to marry. By that we helped you to get rid of them and to gain thawab at the same time with no effort, Just remember that instead of throwing them in the basket, All you have to do is save them for me!!
The 3 projects as follows :-
1- Poor And Orphan Brides **** We help poor and orphan bride in buying everything she needs for her marriage as much as we can. You can share with us with either with money as we can buy things with a very special prices + or donate your things that you don’t need and don’t use in your house anymore, like clothes + kitchen utensils + furniture + wedding dress …....etc.
2- ROBABIKIA *** Collecting everything you don't need any more in your house or work - all kinds and shapes and quality whether it is new or old, works well or need to be fixed.
We take these things and fix and repair them and give them for FREE to the poor families & orphanage houses we are responsible for and the good things goes to the orphan brides for their marriage.
Furniture such as: Bed + Mattress + tables + chairs + carpets + blankets + bed sheets + sofas + bed rooms +….etc.
Kitchen Utensils such as :- glasses + plates + cooking pots + tea cups+ ….etc.
Electric devices such as :- old oven + Amboba + washing machine + refrigerator + blender + iron ….etc.
Clothes and shoes and bags :- all kinds and sizes and quality
Children toys and books :- we distribute them on poor children in poor places (in Cairo and country side) we visit every month + the good toys and books goes to orphanage houses we are responsible for in their libraries + and the new toys are distributed on children who have cancer in Kasr El Eini hospital.
3- Collecting Papers and Plastic and glasses ** You can gain the Thawab by collecting the Papers and Plastics with its all kinds and shapes and quality from your office and home.
We use them for the Recycle project and collect them in our stores and then sell them every month to the factories and the money we get we use for buying stuff that orphans brides need for their marriage.
Papers like:- papers (in one piece or shredding or cut) + newspapers + magazines + Cartoon boxes (all kinds and shapes) + old books ……..etc.
Plastics like:- plastic bottles (all kinds and shapes) such as water, juices, vinegar, or milk …etc. + broken plastic (all kinds and shapes) such as plates, chairs, cups, children toys + telephones …….etc.
Please log in to our website www.mosaada.com and see SOME of our activities and charity cases that we handle , also the reports for Marriage committee for the last 3 years
Also we have branches Mosaada-Alexandria + Mosaada-Asher Men Ramadan + Mosaada -Sharkia+ Mosaada-Tanta + Mosaada-Assuit + Mosaada-Wadi El Gedid + Mosaada-Mansora
P.S. We are opening new orphanage house for baby girls (20 girls) called "Al-Batool" at Heliopolis behind Beiruit Hotel and infront of Cleopatra Hospital. We will take care of them from day one untill they get married and have their own families
Jazakom Allah kheiran If you want to particiapte please call me on 0127338803 and 0126741448 Rania Wahid
There is a Children's Mall in Nasr City on Makram Ebeid, near Omar Effendi now, and there is a children's clothes' shop on the corner of Makram Ebeid and Mustafa Nahas. There is a toy shop further down Mustafa Nahas near the junction with Abbas Al-Akkad and another children's shop further down towards Tayran Street. These are all well-known roads in Nasr City, so anyone who knows the area will be able to give you directions.
As to going to Kilo 4 1/2, in my experience, the areas for the poor in Egypt are much safer to be in than the equivalent areas in western countries; so I wouldn't worry about safety at all, as long as you have a translator that you can trust with you.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
My friend got the same letter but when she contacted them they gave her personal account to transfer the money, so she backed off.
When I help I give cash to those I know personally and when my friends or relatives travel we give through them, so then they give money to poor they know. I suggest you distribute everything yourself directly.
Posts: 1039 | Registered: Jun 2007
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posted
I have been in contact with Mosaada for several years now, not sending them money but items, and have met Rania.
The organization is a very active one and does help many orphans, both through its orphanage, helping orphans to get married, and also doing out reach work in poor villages.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Im going to Al Batool,to Rania's orphanage.Its a very nice one ,the children are well taken care of.It is still new.I gave money at the first time,and im usually giving toys to them,and i sometimes surprise them with a huge cake.Theres a small kid ,her name is Sayeda,im planning to adopt her. Rania is the best friend of my sister in law,and with her sister,Dalia they r doing a GREAT job in helping these poor little ones!God bless them!!!
Helping is always good and well appreciated! K
Posts: 46 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2007
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December 2007 For the Children Throwing out the speeches, formal dinners and rounds of applause at every year’s Universal Children’s Day, one outfit working with orphans puts on a fun outdoor event that anyone can replicate, any time of the year By Marwa Helal
In the green grass of a garden-turned-playground, with his smiling face painted brightly, a paper cone full of popcorn in one hand and a bush of white cotton candy in the other, seven-year-old Abdallah doesn’t appear to be missing anything, let alone a family. Abdallah and 59 fellow orphans are gathered in a Maadi garden, fully equipped with a trampoline, an art corner, and every kind of toy a kid could dream of making trouble with. It is a unique celebration: Universal Children’s Day.
The organizer of the event, 4 Our Kidz, led by Mohamed El Koossy, wanted to do something different for orphaned children. “Usually, we recognize Universal Children’s Day by talking about the problem we have with orphans, but without actually involving the children living with the problem. That doesn’t make sense. Recognition of children should involve the children,” he says.
The solution seems obvious to El Koossy, who is clearly frustrated that people aren’t doing more to help children like those from the Ahbab Allah Orphanage. However, he does recognize why they have reservations about volunteering with orphans. “Some people say, ‘Oh no, they will get too attached,’ or ‘Ya haram! I can’t take it, it just breaks my heart. But it doesn’t have to be like that. You don’t have to go to an orphanage and sit in a room with a look of depression on your face. Look around: we’re outside; they’re happy, active and we’re here to interact with them.”
El Koossy’s outfit is not just another NGO. “It is an institute of public consciousness. This is where the business world meets the rest of the world by integrating their work with the community and trying to influence their habits, changing trends and minds. My public relations agency, ActivePR, began getting involved in the community service field mostly by helping children.”
His mission is to bring smiles to children’s faces. “Last year we celebrated Universal Children’s Day by setting out to break a Guinness world record, creating a banner with the largest number of children’s hand prints, which we achieved with over 5,000 prints, but then China came along and beat us out of the competition. The idea is that if we can help these children now, we can then help them in the future [...] And it’s well known that in order to change the future, you have to start with children. And how can we do it in this country? Not by giving money to street children, because [that just] encourages begging. It also encourages whoever is taking the money from them to continue to send those children out to collect,” El Koossy says.
Volunteer-father Aiman Kaissouni agrees. “It’s nice to play and interact with these young kids. Helping other kids that are not as fortunate as we were and raising awareness about them is why I showed up. If one more person becomes aware of their special needs, they can help — even if it’s just once a month. It was amazing to see their eyes light up when they walked into the garden. Their eyes seemed to say, ‘We’re going to have a lot of fun today,’ and it makes me think ‘I wish it wasn’t just once a year that we did this’.”
One of the younger parents at the day’s festivities, 22-year-old Miral Mohamed Ahmed of the Egyptian Junior Business Association, took a break from a game of tag to talk to Egypt Today. “I love that it feels like we really are one family today,” she says, patting a boy on the head when he runs up and asks her to come back to their game of tag.
“This event is great because it’s a chance to come out instead of going into the orphanages,” says Renee Giar, a teacher. “It’s excellent for kids because they get to experience something new and see different people. They might not realize its value now, but when they grow up, they will remember an opportunity like this.”
And what do the stars of the event think? You don’t have to ask to find out. The kids are all laughing, jumping up and down on the trampoline or opening a pack of watercolors.
“I am having a lot of fun. I am so happy,” screams 10-year-old Nabila.
A more reserved 11-year-old Gamal quietly tells me he likes drawing the most.
Mamdouh, an 11-year-old who’s playing with a yo-yo, stands on tiptoe to see what I’m writing. His nose and eyes peer over my notebook. “What are you doing? Are you writing in English?” he asks, beaming.
The 60-odd orphans, ranging in age from five to 12, all don matching white t-shirts that bear the 4 Our Kidz logo “to reinforce the feeling of family and equality,” El Koossy says. Three hours into the gathering, many of the white shirts are soaked from the ensuing water gun fights. The parents and kids are roughhousing, faces are being painted, mini-football matches intersect with children forming a line for the trampoline or their second and third helpings of popcorn and cotton candy.
In one corner it is obvious a special bond has formed between a particular child, Mabrouk, and one of the day’s parents, Alia Taki El Deen. When asked the same question put forward to all the other kids, “What’s your favorite thing about today?” Mabrouk’s answer makes one feel like smiling and crying at the same time: “Alia.”
Catching up with El Koossy as the event draws to a close, you would think he would be worn out with all of these kids wreaking havoc around him, but the man is exhilarated, wide-eyed and grinning from ear to ear. “This is so great,” he exclaims. “I have made up my mind: we will do this on a bi-monthly basis. These kids need and want more than food: they want to participate, to be engaged. Not just during Ramadan and not just on Orphan’s Day. They are not part-time orphans. They are around all year.” et
For more information on how to contribute year-round, visit 4ourkidz.org
Posts: 407 | Registered: Apr 2006
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