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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 May 1999 Issue No. 428 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 May 1999 Issue No. 428
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Special Focus Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Other families
by Amany Abdel-MoneimUntil a few months ago, when 10 MPs charged two provincial orphanages of causing the death of children in their care in order to sell their organs to major hospitals for transplant operations, few people had given the fate of orphans much thought. In Egypt, adopted children are forbidden from inheriting the wealth of their adoptive families, or of taking their name; having no parents, furthermore, is seen as something of a social stigma, associated as it is with the possibility of illegitimacy.
Deprived of the invaluable network the extended family represents, furthermore, orphans usually have quite a few setbacks on their record before they ever reach the starting line. When the MPs' charges were shelved by Prosecutor-General Ragaa El-Arabi, therefore, it seemed that many breathed a sigh of relief: orphans could be put back on the shelf, a much more comfortable place than the spotlight -- at least as far as society is concerned.
But before, during and after the scandal, many institutions have continued to care quietly for those who have had the misfortune of losing one or both parents at an early age. Soad, Noha and Salma are three such children. Not yet 10 years old, the three girls care for each other, each trying as best she can to play the role a mother would. They share the same dream, though: all three would like to believe that, somewhere, their real mother is waiting for them. The "independent yet caring" relationships the orphanage's staff have worked so hard to build are effective only to a point.
Stability, a warm home environment and parental care are the three elements many orphanages seek to provide. Gawami' Al-Kheir (Mosques of Charity) are among the best known. An orphan himself, Farouk Mursi established the association to help orphans and needy children. The orphanage houses about 120 children in Giza, Menoufiya and Qalyubiya, besides offering support to single parents and sponsoring a nation-wide project, called "An apartment for every orphan", which aims to guarantee proper housing for children who may start out at a disadvantage.
In collaboration with the Housing and Development Bank, the association has opened an account for each orphan in its care, paying into it a basic sum of LE10 pounds. Donations are placed in these accounts; when they reach LE10,000, the orphan is able to purchase an apartment from the New Development Society Organisation.
Mursi, who has made sure that only the orphans have the authority to withdraw the money, has managed to open accounts for almost 2,000 children throughout the country. He wants Egyptians living abroad to help their country by donating a pound to each of the orphans; in this way, he believes, his association will be able to raise almost LE5 million for their benefit.
Other orphanages are less ambitious, preferring to help the children in their care develop skills that may benefit them later on in life. The Awladi (My Children) orphanage, established in 1954, houses around 192 children and offers schooling and accommodation, in addition to evening literacy, knitting and sewing classes. Most of the crafts the orphans produce are sold at the bazaars held throughout the year on the association's premises in Maadi. To raise more funds for the orphanage, a bakery has also been opened.
The orphanage staff feel that their efforts are amply rewarded by the children's success -- measured in terms of integration into society, which is often more difficult for those who are not surrounded by an extended family network. "We are keen to let the children live a healthy and normal social life, and regularly host students from schools in Maadi to spend a day with our children. The mere presence of new faces in the orphanage thrills the children," says Fatma Hegazi, chair of the board of directors. Those who do well at school are encouraged to take up nursing, commercial or academic studies. "Some of them are really smart and have entered university," she adds.
Most of the orphanage's charges are children of unknown parents, as well as those whose mothers are serving prison sentences. "The indoor alternative mothers system, supervised by the association, is a means of coping with the needs of very young infants, who, we think, should not be left in the prison with their mothers," Hegazi explains.
Boys live at the association until the age of 12, and are then sent to another association for young adults. Hegazi admits, however, that this has not been altogether successful. "They feel rejected and pulled out of the only place they recognise as home," she notes. The Cairo governor allocated a piece of land where the association was to build new premises for the boys, but work could not be completed due to a legal dispute.
"As for girls, they stay until they are 21, or until they get married. We buy them a trousseau, as we did for our own children," says Hegazi. Many of the young women face the same difficulties as their peers, who find it extremely difficult to find proper housing after they get married, and the governor has designated 10 apartments, mainly for the association's benefit, in a bid to alleviate this problem.
Several other orphanages are organised along the same lines as Awladi. Dar Al-Iwaa (Shelter), one of the projects run by the Al-Fath Al-Islami (Islamic Conquest) Association, takes in newborn babies and keeps orphans until they turn 21, according to its manager, Hagg Mohamed Abdel-Salam. "We provide free education and accommodation for over 200 girls and boys. We also provide vocational training in summer for physically disabled children. Because we have our own hospitals, we also train nurses to guarantee better job opportunities for our graduates," he explains.
Hagg Abdel-Salam says the orphanage also offers literacy classes as well as vocational training; the older students are usually taught to weave and sew.
Like Gawami' Al-Kheir, Dar Al-Iwaa has opened savings accounts entitling the orphans to decent housing when they turn 21 and have to leave the orphanage.
During the '90s, designated the Decade of the Child by UNICEF, the number of orphanages in Egypt has increased dramatically, reaching 185. Kindergartens for orphans, meanwhile, have also taken in more children -- estimated at 1,033 in 1998.
Besides the proliferation of non-governmental efforts, the state has been attempting to attenuate the disadvantages many orphans face from birth. "The Ministry of Social Affairs has set up a foster family system, aimed at meeting children's needs," says Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, head of public relations at the ministry. Foster families are chosen according to strict guidelines to guarantee that the orphans will be well looked after, he adds.
There are now 2,477 foster or "alternative" families. Around 600 receive financial support from the ministry, while the rest are volunteers. As for foster mothers who are caring for disabled children, the ministry pays them about LE90 per month.
Government-run orphanages are also part of the network. Dar Al-Mu'assassa Al-Iwaa'iya (Shelter Association), a government association affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs, was established in 1992. It houses about 44 children. Mona Abdel-Rafi', manager of the association, told Al-Ahram Weekly that many foster families prefer to take in female orphans, and the ministry is engaged in monitoring the children's conditions continually to ensure that they are not subject to abuse. Here, too, the watchwords are integration and assistance: "We are keen to help the children lead a normal social life, so we use donations to organise excursions," says Abdel-Rafi'. Donations are also channelled toward the purchase of housing for the orphans, and the girls are offered help in saving up for their trousseau.
