Update From Egypt
“We are trying to balance between [COVID] safety protocols and trying to provide the poor of Egypt with training opportunities.”
Giza, Egypt
Practical trainings that are accessible to the deaf have increased the livelihood of this population in Giza.
In 2018, the ARDF Global Council awarded $85,000 to the church in Egypt to operate vocational training classes in Giza, Egypt’s third-largest city. The church has long been active in offering such trainings to those who otherwise would have no means of supporting themselves. Refugees, youth with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities have all benefited from these programs.
At the beginning of 2020, the quilting workshop was underway. This was well received by the community and the church started the other workshops as planned. Then the pandemic hit. With no gatherings of any kind allowed by the government, the workshops ceased.
During this time, the needs of the community changed. It became evident that the workshops originally planned no longer matched with the needs of the trainees. Six months later, when it seemed that the coronavirus was lessening in Egypt, the church reassessed their original plans. Knowing that many within the deaf community were unable to find jobs and were suffering economically, they decided to focus the training efforts on them. In September, vocational trainings adapted to fit the skills and needs of the deaf began.
“While we continued with our original plan to offer quilting and accessory making workshops, we had to shift the other workshops. In time, when it becomes safer, we are planning to continue with our original plan to offer training in painting, electricity, AC, and plumbing.” - Engy Zaher, Diocese of Egypt
The workshops currently being conducted are: sewing and quilting for women; carpentry and seashell work for men; origami, thermal clay, and accessory making for younger students.
Stay tuned for the final research report for more details on this completed project. But for now, we give God the glory for what the church in Egypt has been able to accomplish to date, despite the pandemic!
Meet a beneficiary:
The church in Egypt isn’t the only one having to adapt due to COVID. How else have things changed for our during the global pandemic of 2020?
Martha, 42 yrs old and a mother of two children, reports that the project has a great impact on her family for good. It presents her with a very good opportunity to increase the family income. In addition, she likes the quilting profession because it enables her to make things that can sell for a good return.
Another important thing she mentioned is that quilting won’t hinder her from doing her housework and meet all her family needs because she will work in her spare time.
Meanwhile, Martha's husband and children see Martha expressing gladness and happiness for this profession.
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