Another NGO in Mokkatam

Today I went downtown after the W.A.'s Christmas party. They had someone making Irish coffee with real Irish whiskey. The woman who fixed it for me (20 LE) was generous with the whiskey and there was plenty of fresh whipped cream. I bought a loaf of banana bread for 20 LE (omg, fabulously moist, redolent of bananas, no nuts but didn't miss them) and a date cake for 50 LE. Everything to benefit the W.A.'s coffers - they have charitable projects. Met a women there selling these bags made by a group of women at the Garbage Collectors Village but at St. Simon the Tanner's church there.She is Dutch (Fenneke) and has been working with the women here since May 2008. The Center there had a small training center for making clothes but they had no work and they asked her if she had work for them. After a few days, she found the cloth made in Egypt called Khayameya - it's made 100% in Egypt, 100% Egyptian cotton, colorful and very sturdy. She thought they would make good aprons and then brought the six yards of material she had purchased to the Center along with her apron as a pattern.

In August of 2008, she had the women making bags - one of which I bought for 60 LE. In one year, the women had made 2500 aprons and 4200 bags. With that, they can earn a fair trade salary, the Center was able to purchase several sewing machines and an industrial ironing board. Any profits benefit the Amalna Home which is an orphanage for 8 girls. A nursery for Sudanese refugee children in Nasr City with monthly salaries for 5 people, rent and electricity paid for as well as contributing toward Operation Smile Egypt which offers free surgeries for children born with cleft palate. I found some information by googling Amalna Home and Fenneke has given my information to Laila, a woman who now runs the organization at St. Simon's. Fenneke was going back to Nairobi and wanted to start some other NGOs but with the help of a few others as it is so much work to do it alone, she told me.