ARABATEL,
GIZA,
EGYPT
(2004)
WELCOME
to
ARABATEL
VILLAGE
located
12
miles
south
of
Cairo,
Egypt
North
Africa
on
the
banks
of
the
River
Nile.
Arabatel
is
filled
with
people
and
overwhelmed
by
problems
like
health,
sanitation,
education
and
other
developmental
concerns.
Unlike
Egypt’s
ruling
class,
Arabatel
citizens
are
largely
impoverished
Muslims,
Christians
and
other
religions
who
are
coexisting
peacefully
on
the
edge
of
one
of
Cairo’s
most
affluent
suburbs—Maadi
Degla.
There
are
health
hazards
everywhere.
Water
is
unsafe.
The
air
is
severely
polluted.
Yet
the
people
of
Arabatel
persevere.
This
is
due
in
part
to
people‐helping‐people
and
the
fish
from
the
Nile
which,
despite
being
polluted,
yields
a
small
supply
of
fish.
Abjectly
starving
people
here
are
not
so
common
because
Arabatel
villagers
are
very
supportive
of
one
another.
This
is
a
farm
community
and
all
villagers
share
in
the
harvests
when
possible.
The
overwhelming
majority
of
the
village
cannot
find
a
job
of
any
kind
that
is
sufficient
enough
to
support
their
families—Egypt’s
most
valued
treasure.
Therefore
the
children
and
their
elders
are
unable
to
enjoy
basic
good
health
nor
the
upward
mobility
an
education
brings.
This
is
a
snapshot
of
not
only
Arabatel,
but
most
villages
in
today’s
Africa
where
life
has
been
reduced
to
literally
“hanging
on
by
a
thin
thread”.
Adopt­a­Village
program
was
started
in
2013
with
donations
from
2
African‐American
cousins,
one
who
has
engaged
in
philanthropy
for
community
based
learning
initiatives
in
Egypt,
Sudan,
Tanzania,
Kenya
and
South
Africa
for
more
than
10
years.
The
other
was
seeking
ways
to
make
a
difference
beyond
his
customary
charitable
giving
to
organizations
like
the
United
Way
and
church
collection
plate.
Both
men
are
accomplished
educators
whose
parents
were
beneficiaries
of
the
American
steel
and
automobile
industries.
They
pooled
their
resources
to
establish
a
modest,
but
growing
endowment
that
is
currently
being
used
to
purchase
insulin
and
other
medications
for
Arabatel
Village’s
most
at
risk
families
and
children.
Their
gift
is
intended
to
assist
with
medical
emergencies
and
alleviation
of
chronically
ill
persons.
In
February
2013
their
contributions
literally
saved
the
life
of
a
4
year
old
girl
who
required
immediate
emergency
surgery
but
her
parents
were
turned
away
from
every
hospital
because
they
are
poor.
This
girl’s
(Dahab)
family
has
made
it
possible
for
us
to
conduct
photography
and
journalism
classes
in
the
village
since
2006.
The
father,
Osama
is
33
years
of
age
and
had
worked
at
a
fruit
and
vegetable
store
on
Road
9
since
the
age
of
8.
Due
to
recent
waves
of
foreign
departures
from
Cairo,
his
employer
terminated
his
employment
leaving
him
with
2
very
young
children
(Dahab
and
Donia)
and
no
way
to
care
for
them.
The
lost
income
was
less
than
$100
per
month
(approx.
41
cents
per
hour)
based
on
six
to
seven
10
hour
days
per
week.
We
have
assisted
him
and
others
in
the
village
to
find
work
to
no
avail.
When
his
family
were
being
exploited
and
abused
by
a
landlord
who
unlawfully
evicted
them
as
soon
as
major
repairs
to
their
apartment
had
been
made
at
their
expense,
one
of
our
“good
global
neighbors”
made
a
donation
of
bricks
with
which
their
new
home
was
constructed
on
top
of
a
building
occupied
by
other
relatives
and
neighbors
who
volunteered
their
time
and
construction
expertise
to
build
a
home
for
Amira
and
Osama
who
were
homeless
and
expecting
their
first
child.
Below
are
photos
of
Osama
(red
shirt),
Amira
(green
nigab),
family,
neighbors
and
strangers
who
helped
lay
the
bricks
that
our
network
purchased
for
them
for
less
than
$500.
This
is
not
a
lot
of
money,
but
it
made
a
HUGE
difference.
For
additional
information
contact:
Road
200
Building
10A,
Studio
12
Maadi
Degla
Cairo,
Egypt
+2022
754‐5929
+20[2]
010
979
10451
mobile)
E‐mail
[email protected]
Website
http://www.africanoracle.org/